How Matt Nagy blended success, failure and an epic offseason itinerary into his message to the 2019 Bears
CHICAGO - Matt Nagy used both hands to clutch his gold NFL Coach of the Year trophy once his right hand was free. It was only natural to shake hands first with the men who presented it to him, Joe Namath and Barry Sanders.
No big deal. Just a couple of Hall of Famers and a washed-up Division I-AA quarterback on stage in front of an A-list crowd of NFL stars and legends.
Nagy wore a navy suit with a Bears-orange tie. He stepped to the microphone at the Fox Theater in Atlanta and began his 2-minute, 38-second acceptance speech with the word that reflexively came to him: "Wow."
"It's a humbling award," he said. "It's ... a reflection of our Chicago Bears family. This represents all of us. This is a 'we' award."
It was not, however, the 'we' award.
That one, the Lombardi Trophy, was claimed the following night by Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Nagy watched that, green as an Augusta National fairway, just like everyone else whose season ended with a gut punch.
Those 24 hours in February embodied a bittersweetness that guided Nagy and the Bears through the offseason to Thursday night's season opener against the Packers.
