Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy once again found himself battling questions after a loss.
This week, after falling 17-16 to the Los Angeles Chargers at home, Nagy was fighting queries as to why he didn't try to get closer to set up Eddy Pineiro's attempt for a game-winning field goal. The coach called for a Mitchell Trubisky kneel to run the clock down for one final play, a 41-yard field goal attempt, instead of using that play to try to get a smidge closer.
Pineiro's boot hooked wide left and the Bears lost their third straight to fall to 3-4.
"I'm not even going to get into that," . "I had zero thought of running the ball. I'm not taking the chance of fumbling the football. They know you're running the football, so you lose 3 or 4 yards. So that wasn't even in our process as coaches to think about that."
Nagy then laughed off a follow up wondering if he hadn't considered a run, whether a pass might have made sense.
"Throw the football?" Nagy said. "Throw the football right then and there? What happens if you take a sack or there's a fumble?"
Obviously, the Bears would lose.
"That's right," Nagy said. "Yeah. Exactly. So no, there was zero thought of that. I'll just be really clear. Zero thought of throwing the football.
"Zero thought of running the football. You understand me? That's exactly what it was. It's as simple as that."
Your team lost anyway, coach.
If a coach doesn't trust his players not to foul up that situation, what does that say for the team moving forward?
Nagy isn't the first coach to play for a long field goal. He won't be the last. Pineiro should be able to make a 41-yarder. If he does, Nagy doesn't get questioned. He missed, so it's open season on the Bears coach.
Nagy on Monday remained adamant on his decision to kneel.
"I would do it again a thousand times," he told reporters. "I'm very, very comfortable knowing what I did. I'm very, very comfortable knowing if I'm in that exact situation again, at that same yard line, I'm going to do the same thing."
Pineiro entered the game having missed just one of 10 field-goal attempts and zero PATs this season, so Nagy's confidence in his kicker was understandable. However, after watching the kicker doink a 33-yarder earlier in the tilt, Nagy should have known settling for a 40-plus yard field goal attempt late could be a precarious proposition.
Yes, something bad could have happened if Nagy tried to gain a few extra yards to help his kicker. Something bad actually did happen anyway.
