Giving up play calling duties is something Chicago Bears fans are begging Matt Nagy to do at this point. They're tired of his relentless love for "cute" plays in crucial moments, his predictable tendencies, and his inability to balance the offense. His red zone calls in the first half of the loss to Los Angeles on Sunday was the final straw. One that saw him call just four running plays in 11 chances on goal-to-go situations. Throw in his baffling decision to take a knee at the end of the game despite still having a timeout left? Confidence in his is at an all-time low.
Thus far Nagy has resisted the idea of giving up the call sheet and it's unlikely that will change. Then again, with the team floundering and close to closing shop for 2019, desperation may convince him it's time to shake things up. The question becomes if he does give up play calling, who will he hand the ball off to? Looking over the staff as it is, there are three logical options for him to consider.
The most obvious is offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich. It seems like the logical choice given he oversees the entire operation on that side of the ball. However, there is one problem. Helfrich has never called plays before. He didn't during his entire time at Oregon or anywhere else in college. So the Bears would be taking a huge risk there.
Then there's Brad Childress.
The longtime coach rejoined the Bears this offseason after a brief flirtation with the Alliance of American Football and is once again a senior offensive consultant. He's no stranger to playing the role of offensive coordinator, having done so in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Kansas City dating back to 2002. Unlike Helfrich he does have experience calling plays, getting his first taste as far back as 1986 for Northern Arizona. He also had a highly successful run at Wisconsin where they won two Rose Bowls with him as OC.
However, the Bears should go in a different direction.
Matt Nagy should consider giving Dave Ragone a shot
Handing the play calling duties to the quarterbacks coach is certainly not a conventional way to do things. Then again the Minnesota Vikings did it last year and things seem to have worked out pretty well. Dave Ragone has been with the team since 2016. He knows the personnel on this offense as well as anybody, especially the quarterback position. He's considered by many inside and outside the organization and as up-and-coming talent.
Nagy himself believes the guy is destined to be a head coach himself.
“He has a phenomenal future ahead of him.”
Ragone played quarterback in the NFL and NFL Europe from 2003 to 2006. He started his coaching career in 2009 and after a brief stop in the old United Football League got his break into the NFL as the Tennessee Titans wide receivers coach. While he steadily rose up the ranks, Ragone was mentored by a couple of qualified offensive minds. The first being Chris Palmer whom he worked with in the UFL and again with the Titans.
Palmer had some success in the NFL as an offensive coordinator. He produced a pair of top 10 units with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1997 and 1998. He even got the Titans to post the 12-ranked passing attack in 2011 despite having a 36-year old Matt Hasselbeck at QB.
He wasn't the most notable mentor to Ragone though.
That came a few years later in 2015. As an offensive quality control coach for the Washington Redskins, he worked under a rising star in the business by the name of Sean McVay. He, of course, went on to become the head coach for the Rams and is considered one of the best play callers in the league. That brief experience was an invaluable education for Ragone. It's high time the Bears see if he can put it to good use.
Honestly. What have they got to lose?
