The big news from Friday was that Bears head coach Matt Nagy had finally decided to hand over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, a move that shocked many considering he’d refused to do as much for the last two seasons.
Nagy made the announcement in a press conference with the media on Friday. But it turns out not everyone was aware that Lazor is taking over as play caller this week against the Vikings.
Tight end Jimmy Graham was unaware that Matt Nagy had handed over play-calling duties to Lazor for Monday night, which is a bit of a shock considering you’d expected the players to know before the rest of us did.
#Bears TE Jimmy Graham on Bill Lazor calling plays now:
"I had no idea … I don't really watch the news."
Seemed legit surprised.— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) November 14, 2020
The cries for Nagy to give up play calling date back to last season as Chicago’s offense struggled, and it’s been more of the same this season. The decision to step back from play calling this week is due to Nagy wanting to observe the team as a whole.
“This will give me an opportunity to step back and see things from a different position,” Nagy said.
While the change isn’t necessarily permanent, if the offense runs smoother with Lazor calling plays, Nagy said he’ll continue to do what’s best for his team.
“I’d be lying if I said this was easy,” Nagy said. “It’s not easy. It’s one of my favorite parts of coaching. I love calling plays. I love it. I love it. Is it permanent? No, it’s not permanent. But guess what, if this is best for the team, then that’s what I’m going to do.”