Keeping Bears Communication Lines Open

It was unusual to hear an admission of fault or mistake from former Bears coach Matt Nagy about his time in Chicago.

It wasn't about his game planning or failing to use Justin Fields correctly.

However, during his media interview with Super Bowl reporters during Opening Night at the Super Bowl it almost sounded like a heads up or possibly even a warning for current Bears coach Matt Eberflus when Nagy admitted to a problem during his own time as Chicago coach.

^{-Former Bears coach Matt Nagy at the Super Bowl}

"One of my greatest strengths, in my opinion, was relationships, open communication, open honesty with players," Nagy told reporters at the Super Bowl. "Never at any point was I not that, but there were points that I could have been better and I thought I was better. And I wasn't."

So maintaining communications with players and keeping them open is important.

The Bears finished this past season with a 10-game losing streak and also with players and Eberflus talking about how there was a need for open communication.

Once the season ended, Eberflus had players come in for frank postseason discussions. Some players had eye-opening comments for the coaching staff regarding communications.

It seemed some players didn't feel a real communicative relationship existed during the season, especially late during the losing streak. Defensive tackle Justin Jones tried to explain just after the season how they expressed this to coaches.

"If a player doesn't agree with some of the things we're doing then I think it should be an open space, to let them air it out and say, 'hey, I don't see or understand why we're doing this' and you (coaches) have to explain this is why we're doing this," Jones said.

It seemed some players during the losing streak didn't feel coaches were letting them know where they stand and how they can get better.

"You've got to kind of like reassure players that it's still competitive," Jones said. "When you're going through a tough season players tend to look at themselves, 'what am I doing wrong?' And that being said, you're going to have to reiterate 'hey my door is always open if you want to talk.' "

Eberflus had said at his season-ending press conference that the exchange was positive, although he scoffed at one suggestion. Someone felt they shouldn't have to wear pads after Thanksgiving at practice.

"I said, 'Well, that's too bad,' " Eberflus said. " 'You got to be in pads. So I'll take that under advisement.'

"So there was a couple of things in there, but really what we could do is just to improve our relationships. You know I think it was pretty good, but I think it will be even better coming up Year 2 knowing that we built the foundation now with these young guys and the guys that we currently have in the locker room."

It sounds like Eberflus realizes the need to avoid what happened with Nagy exists.

Whether they actually do anything about it remains to be seen.

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