An Old Friend Sold Bears Ownership on Matt Nagy as Head Coach

Chicago Bears ownership trusted GM Ryan Pace to make the call on who the next head coach would be. It became apparent from Pace's research early on that Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy could be the guy. However, he had to make sure he got as many opinions as possible. Not a bad plan considering the importance of this search. Team president Ted Phillips was a point man in helping Pace make phone calls to people around the league, gauging opinions on Nagy as a person and a coach. As it turns out the Bears got a huge vote of confidence from a trusted, familiar source. According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, the same man who broke the Harry Hiestand hire, Nagy got a major sales pitch from colleague and former Bears special teams coach Dave Toub.

"Per a source, one of Phillips’ first calls was to Dave Toub on Matt Nagy and Toub gave a substantial, effusive endorsement of the Chiefs offensive coordinator. That endorsement went a long way with ownership and is a major reason the Bears landed their first-choice coach quickly."

My own sources corroborated this story. It seems the Bears called Toub initially to gauge his interest in interviewing for the head coaching job. Toub politely turned it down so they talked to him about Nagy. He spoke at length about his fellow coaches' qualifications. It's unknown if that pitch was ultimately what got Nagy the job, but it certainly streamlined the process.

Toub connection to Bears ownership likely got them on Pace's side

The one thing Toub had above other references in this case was credibility. Phillips and the McCaskey family know not only his work but the man himself well. Toub was the best special teams coordinator in football during his time in Chicago from 2004 to 2012. His work with Devin Hester alone made them loads of money by putting butts in the seats. Pace no doubt had them intrigued by Nagy, but the word of Toub was likely a clincher to making things go so smoothly. One mustn't forget he has worked with several future top NFL head coaches. Need a reminder? Here's a recap:

• Brad Childress (reached NFC championship in Minnesota)
• Ron Rivera (reached Super Bowl in Carolina)
• Leslie Frazier (made playoffs in Minnesota)
• Sean McDermott (made playoffs in Buffalo)
• John Harbaugh (won Super Bowl in Baltimore)
• Doug Pederson (reached Super Bowl in Philadelphia)

This isn't counting him going to a Super Bowl with Lovie Smith in Chicago. The guy has long since learned what a good head coach looks like. So for him to give such an enthusiastic endorsement for Nagy? That has to be a good sign for the Bears.