NEW ORLEANS — Matt Nagy has five words of advice for Ben Johnson.
“Win,” he said. “And beat the Packers.”
The Bears head coach from 2018-21, Nagy knows of which he speaks. In 2018, the Bears defeated the Packers at Soldier Field to clinch the NFC North. It was his only victory against the Packers — and the franchise’s most recent rivalry win until Thomas Brown won this season’s finale.
Eberflus, Nagy’s replacement, never beat the Packers. Johnson will have to in order to be as successful as the Bears hope he can be.
“[Johnson] will do a heck of a job there,” Nagy said. “I’m a big fan of what he’s done in Detroit. He’s going to have a bright future.”
Nagy, the Chiefs offensive coordinator who will coach in his third straight Super Bowl on Sunday against the Eagles, has watched Johnson’s offensive scheme from afar.
“I have a lot of respect for him and for what he does, and just the offense that he runs,” he said. “It’s a cool path that he’s had, to be able to get to this point.
“We’re a small fraternity of coaches that are around each other … I was in those shoes before, right? I was there.”
When the Bears hired Nagy, head coach Andy Reid told him he couldn’t bring any fellow Chiefs assistants to Chicago. Former Vikings head coach Brad Childress retired from his job as the Chiefs’ assistant head coach, though, and wound up following Nagy to Chicago. Nagy called the addition of Childress “massive,” saying it was essential for him, as a first-time coach, to have a former head coach in his ear.
Johnson has done something similar, hiring former Raiders and Saints head coach Dennis Allen to be his defensive coordinator.
“There’s a lot that you can go through that you don’t know if you’ve never been a head coach before,” Nagy said. “When you go through that, it’s very important to make sure you have a circle of people around you that can really help you out.
“It’s a little different when you’re just a coordinator.”
The Bears have spent most of their history indoctrinating coordinators. They’ve hired just one coach since 1957 who had previous NFL head coaching experience. Nagy was the most successful head coach the team has had since firing Lovie Smith after the 2012 season, going 34-31. His .523 winning percentage is eighth-best in franchise history, just below Smith.
Asked whether Chicago was hard on coaches, Nagy said the fan base cares.
“They’re passionate,” he said. “It’s all for the good. They care about their teams. I know that. I think for me being three years out and being away from everything but also from afar seeing what’s going on, you understand it. …
“I had a lot of great times in Chicago. It didn’t end how I wanted it to end. But that’s life, man. Things go on. You learn from it. That’s what I’m going to try to do. Chicago’s moving on, a couple different places, different ways. It’s a small fraternity and I understand that Chicago’s extremely passionate and they want to win.”
Having quarterback Caleb Williams should help Johnson.
“He’s super-talented,” Nagy said. “You see some of those flashes in there, those plays that some people don’t make. I think that’s what all of Chicago saw as well. That’s what makes you hungry to be able to see more. I think everybody’s got to remember, too, that these rookies are so young. When you get thrown into different situations … everything he went through this year will only help him be better for the future.”
Nagy’s future looks bright, too. He won his first Super Bowl two years ago as the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach, then took over as offensive coordinator when Eric Bieniemy — now the Bears’ running backs coach — left. Nagy is on his second stint with the Chiefs — he was their quarterbacks coach from 2013-15 and offensive coordinator from 2016-17. Head coach Andy Reid has been the Chiefs’ main play-caller throughout his tenure.
Nagy interviewed for the Jets’ head coaching job this offseason, but the team chose Aaron Glenn instead. Reid was bracing for Nagy and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to be poached, but was thrilled they weren’t.
“For whatever reason it didn’t work out,” Reid said. “The owners know that — what they’re looking for. I’m glad. Selfishly, I’m glad they’re with us right now. And hopefully they stay for a long time.”
The Chiefs haven’t set the record books on fire like previous versions of Patrick Mahomes’ offense — they ranked 17th in yards and 13th in points during the regular season — but it’s hard to quibble with a team that has lost two games all year. One came in the regular season finale when the Chiefs played their backups.
Now they’re back in a familiar place. Nagy even joked with Chicago-area reporters that seeing them at the Super Bowl was an annual reunion.
“This never gets old, but you gotta win,” he said. “I think that’s the key. …. The last couple years, to be out on the field with confetti, there’s no better feeling.”
