LAKE FORST, Ill. (AP) New coach Matt Nagy looked out his window
Tuesday morning and saw a group working in unison to create
something bigger and better for the Chicago Bears.
He was impressed.
The construction workers laying the foundation for an expanded
practice facility were putting on a clinic in teamwork.
''The communication of the guys who are building, pouring the
concrete and the cement and people in the background talking,'' he
said Tuesday. ''How do you do this? How do you do that? That's what
we're doing right now as a team.''
The Bears are trying to build something bigger and better after
finishing last in the NFC North four straight years.
General manager Ryan Pace fired John Fox after three seasons and
replaced him with Nagy, hoping a coach with an offensive background
will get the most out of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky
There's a growing buzz for a team coming off a 5-11 season. But
there's also plenty of work to do, particularly for an offense
learning a new system, and the job kicked into another gear with
the start of a voluntary veteran minicamp on Tuesday.
For Nagy, it's his first shot as a head coach after 10 seasons
working under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City. He's
trying to help lift a franchise with one playoff appearance in 11
years and nothing but .500 or losing records since 2012.
''Just very obsessive about being detailed and having us be
detailed,'' defensive end Akiem Hicks said. ''And watching his
morning meetings, you always get a good feel for a coach with how
he addresses the entire team, and he makes sure he hits all his
points, he has his (index) cards out and making sure that he gets
everybody in line and knowing what we've got for the day and stuff
like that.''
While a defense that ranked 10th overall last season has many of
its top players back as well as coordinator Vic Fangio, the offense
is adjusting to a new system. Trubisky's development could
ultimately determine the fate of Pace and Nagy in Chicago. But
there are other issues facing the Bears.
Though they signed free agent receiver Allen Robinson and gave
Trubisky a new No. 1 target, depth at the position remains an
issue. Robinson is working his way back after tearing his ACL in
last year's opener with Jacksonville, and guard Kyle Long is
recovering from ankle, shoulder and neck surgeries.
Neither player participated in team drills Tuesday. And Nagy had no
timetable for when they will start.
Another issue is the mindset of running back Jordan Howard after
Bears-related photos disappeared from his Instagram account a few
weeks ago amid trade rumors. He sidestepped questions about that
while insisting he has a future in Chicago and can be a productive
player in Nagy's system despite his struggles catching passes.
''They told my agent they had no plans to trade me or anything like
that,'' Howard said. ''So that's comforting.''
He said he ''really wasn't hurt'' by the rumors.
With more than 2,400 yards since the Bears took him in the fifth
round in 2016, Howard has been one of Pace's most successful draft
picks. He ran for 1,122 yards last season after finishing second in
the NFL with 1,313 as a rookie.
But there's a perception his struggles in the passing game make him
an odd fit in a system that demands the running backs catch the
ball.
''I feel like I can fit in pretty much (any) offense,'' Howard
said. ''Yeah, I have had struggles receiving but anytime people
doubt me, they just push me to do better and improve. That is
definitely one thing I want to improve on.''
Nagy also dismissed that idea, saying, ''To sit there and say he
doesn't fit this offense I don't think is very fair.''
He said Howard ''absolutely'' will be a featured running back in
2018 and envisions him and Tarik Cohen once again forming a dynamic
tandem.
As for the Instagram issue, Howard said there was ''nothing to it''
and wouldn't acknowledge removing Bears-related pictures. There
were plenty on Tuesday.
''I don't know,'' he said. ''You can go on there now and see if
they're on there. I don't know.''
