Tuesday Morning Football: Matt Nagy's on thin ice, Patriots are in trouble, Stafford and the Rams look scary good
Tuesday Morning Football: Matt Nagy's on thin ice, Patriots are in trouble, Stafford and the Rams look scary good
NFL news, notes, and takeaways from week three.
This weekend we watched Justin Fields make his first career start in the NFL. And it was as bad a game as I can ever remember watching.
Matt Nagy is trending on twitter and is the most talked about subject on sports radio; deservedly so. You were given months to build an offensive game plan built around the guy YOU drafted in the first round.
A friend of mine sent me a text on Sunday:
“Are the Bears purposely trying to make Justin Fields look horrible? lol this looks intentional.”
She’s not wrong.
Matt Nagy needs to go. Today.
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TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 3:
Matt Nagy’s time in Chicago is almost over
The Chicago Bears need to consider making a change at head coach, and soon. It’s not just the lack of awareness regarding starting Andy Dalton to begin the season over Justin Fields.
It’s a complete lack of success and identity on offense. Period.
In the first half of Chicago’s 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Fields was sacked four times. FOUR. (Fields was sacked nine times in total on Sunday)
But that’s not all – Nagy kept Fields inside the pocket and called little to no quarterback draws or designed runs. Nagy didn’t scheme up plays to move Fields out of the pocket, nor did he really change up the tempo as the game progressed.
The playcalling and overall game plan was horrid – and the time for patience has gone and left.
Nagy seemed distraught and lost when he spoke to the media postgame, too.
“You almost can’t make it up, it was that bad.”
Nagy is not the coach for Justin Fields – and he’s not the right coach for the Chicago Bears.
And frankly, I’m beginning to wonder how bad Mitch Trubisky actually is given what I’ve seen from Nagy this season.
The Patriots are in trouble
When Zach Wilson threw four interceptions in week two, Patriots fans laughed and told me the Jets organization is trash and Wilson was doomed. So, what are we going to talk about now that Mac Jones threw three interceptions in an atrocious loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday?
Jones and this offense looked downright lost on almost every single drive. And if it’s not Jones’ fault, then who’s is it?
Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal noted an interesting moment between Belichick and Jones after Sunday’s game.
This could be nothing, but I have noticed that Belichick’s demeanor towards his rookie quarterback has changed over the past two months. Jones looks to be an emotional leader who wants to win more than anyone. And right now, he’s not winning much of anything.
Does Belichick think the Patriots haven’t done a great job of putting Jones in the best position to succeed? He would never admit it publicly, but I do wonder…
Either way, this offense has a lot to improve on – and Belichick and McDaniels know it.
Cam Newton was vilified and hated for last season’s performance, and yet the offense looked more respectable through the first three games last year. With a far less talented group of offensive playmakers, by the way.
I am tired of giving this organization a break for past successes. The offensive scheme and lack of creativity deserves to be questioned.
You paid for higher caliber players in free agency. You drafted a quarterback that many believed to be NFL ready in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. You named your boat “8 Rings.”
Show us why.
Matt Stafford and the Rams look good
Scary good.
McVay looks as happy as we’ve seen him in awhile. He’s jumping on the sidelines, and looks as if he’s a six year-old boy who just opened a present on Christmas morning.
This Rams offense is on a different level with Stafford behind center. And given the talent on the defensive side of the ball – this Rams team has real Super Bowl potential.
The Rams are the team to beat in the NFC.
Behind Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals have a shot
As football fanatics, we talk about quarterback play as much as we talk about food, beer, or even our children. And when it comes to the quarterback position, you cannot ask for more than what Joe Burrow gives your team.
I’ve often said that Burrow simply screams ‘winner’ and that was on full display Sunday when he lifted his team to a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On paper, the Bengals are certainly not better than the Browns, Ravens, or possible even the Steelers.
But, behind Joe Burrow, don’t rule out a sneaky good Bengals team making noise this season.
TWO-MINUTE DRILL: Week 3 quick hitters
The NFL has an officiating issue – and a big one. Sunday Night Football was an exciting game but it was completely derailed to an extent by the officials incompetence.
Chargers’ rookie cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. is a baller, even if you thought he was ‘too small’ to play cornerback in the NFL.
Aaron Rodgers is still very good.
Kyle Shanahan may need to reconsider his quarterback situation if he wants to win more than just regular season games.
Bill Belichick might want to reevaluate Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator if this offense doesn’t turn things around quickly.
Patrick Mahomes needs more help on offense. And yes, I know that sounds crazy – but outside of Kelce and Hill, his surrounding cast has not looked great through three games. Will newly signed WR Josh Gordon have a big impact?
The New York Giants might be looking at a complete reset.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should give another quarterback a look if the offense continues to struggle.
After that 66-yard (NFL record) game winning field goal, Justin Tucker is a first ballot Hall of Famer.
We may have vastly overrated Washington’s defense.
The Colts might need a new quarterback in 2022.
Justin Herbert deserves more credit, and our attention moving forward.
Both the Broncos and Raiders are 3-0 – and one of them could be legit.
ASK ME ANYTHING: NFL WEEK 3
– Do you think the Bears will actually fire Nagy this quick?
Probably not, but they should.
It’s not just about not starting Fields week one. It’s about the entirety of his tenure in Chicago. How many times have we questioned the offense with Trubsiky? A lot
I’m beginning to wonder if the quarterbacks in Chicago were never the issue.
– Could/should the Chiefs look to trade for a receiver before the deadline?
I definitely think Mahomes needs a little more help. I don’t feel the Chiefs need to trade for an elite playmaker, but they could use a solid No. 2 or No. 3 wide receiver. CEH has struggled to start the season, and his usage in the passing game is not what we were expecting. The offense still runs through Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
A young reciever like N’Keal Harry in New England would be an intriguing name to watch for KC.
(The Chiefs reportedly signed WR Josh Gordon on Monday)
– Darkhorse team to draft a quarterback next year?
I’d say the Colts or the Eagles. And I’ve been pretty public on how I feel about Carson Wentz, but the Colts are not a rebuilding team. And yet they resemble one.
The Eagles are a tough read with how they feel about Hurts.
I don’t particularly love any of the quarterbacks projected to go in the first round next year, but it wouldn’t shock me to see either team take a look at one.
4TH & LONG: Final Thoughts Heading Into Week 4
Tom Brady was right.
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Foxborough this weekend to meet his former team, the New England Patriots. This game has been talked about throughout the offseason, but after this past weekend; the intrigue took a bit of a hit.
The Patriots are 1-2, and don’t look respectable at all. The preseason expectations for this team were that they would be a competitive playoff team, at the very least. As we stand today, I’m not so sure this Patriots team is much better than last season’s 7-9 Patriots team.
Tom Brady is a lot of things, but I’m beginning to wonder if he saw this coming. Is Brady the reason his teams are consistently constructed so well? I’m not ruling it out, to be honest. Brady very well could have wanted more control and say in roster management because he was losing faith in the team’s decision making.
I wouldn’t blame him given what I’ve seen in New England since he departed.
This weekend’s game will still be a must-watch reunion for the greatest football player in NFL history. But it probably won’t be winning any game of the year awards, that’s for sure.
Situations matter, so let’s stop comparing rookie quarterbacks
If the Cleveland Browns drafted Patrick Mahomes first overall in the 2017 NFL Draft instead of Myles Garrett, what would we be saying about Mahomes today?
The narrative around coaching and quarterbacks is not discussed and criticized enough – and it bugs me to no end.
Matt Nagy is not the right coach for Justin Fields, and if you’ve watched Fields throughout his college career, I would be stunned if you disagreed with me.
I have questions on Zach Wilson and his situation as I do with Mac Jones working with Patriots OC Josh McDaniels. And yes, I obviously have major doubts as to how many seasons Urban Meyer will be coaching Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.
With how things look right now, Trey Lance may actually be in the best situation of all the 2021 rookie quarterbacks.
Great insights!! Even with Mond in the fold I still feel my Vikes may seriously look at a QB in the draft. More so if Zimmer and Spielman get canned. I want to see them succeed but I understand the nature of the beast. If a new regime comes in I'm sure they will take a long look at Mond but I am sure they will look to bring in their own guy.