Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot can be quite outspoken when it comes to her Bears fandom, and some recent blistering commentary makes it clear she’s less than thrilled with the direction of the offense under head coach Matt Nagy.
Mayor Lightfoot made an appearance Wednesday on NBC Sports Chicago’s four-hour fundraiser that benefited the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund. Pulling no punches whatsoever, Lightfoot tore into the Bears and specifically Nagy, whose offense she bemoaned as “predictable and pedestrian.”
Addressing what specifically went wrong during the Bears’ disappointing 8-8 campaign last season, Lightfoot suggested the offense needs more creativity. She also noted that the acquisition of Nick Foles will inject some much-needed competition at the QB position and put much-maligned starter Mitchell Trubisky on notice.
“But really I’m hoping that the offense is going to get back on track. I’m excited to see what Nick Foles does when training camp opens up. A little friendly competition I think is a good thing,” Lightfoot said during the telecast, as transcribed by NBC Sports Chicago. “Everybody grows when there’s competition. You know Mitch Trubisky was not what I think anybody expected he would be last season, he’s got to get much more consistent. But when you’ve got a defense like that, all you’ve got to do on offense is just manage the game.
“You’ve got to score – you can’t get down into the red zone and settle for field goals. But what I saw a lot last season was a great defense that was gassed by the third quarter. And that’s not good for anybody. So the offense has really got to step up. I’d like to see Nagy’s playcalling be a little less predictable and pedestrian. You know, running up the gut every time? Yeah, that’s not working so well.“
As noted, the Windy City mayor isn’t afraid to calls things as she seems them when it comes to her beloved Bears. Just last season, Lightfoot took a shot at embattled kicker Eddy Pineiro at the height of his struggles.
What’s more, it’s also when she originally articulated her disgust with the Bears offense as called by head Nagy and run by Trubisky. It would appear her frustration in that particular regard is a running theme in her fiery Bears rhetoric.
Suffice to say, Nagy and the entire Bears’ offensive coaching staff have been put on notice by Lightfoot, a longtime season-ticket holder.
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