Bears - 30, Falcons - 26
MATT NAGY: I'll start off here, first of all, just saying how much of an emotional game that was in so many different ways. We're super fired up that we won, but there are a lot of emotions that go into that, and to start off when you start looking at some of the injuries, unfortunately it looks like Tarik Cohen after we get confirmation, looks like he did end up tearing his ACL. So that will be a big blow to us there with that, which is unfortunate. I'm so proud of that kid, and he's been really growing. So that part you don't like.
Obviously the quarterback situation, it can be -- there's a lot of emotions that go into that. These kids, these players, and so that was a move that we ended up making, but we're super fired up that we won the game, and we have that, and then of course the amount of respect that I have for Mr. Blank and the Atlanta Falcons organization, I just think that they do a lot of things the right way. I have a lot of respect for Dan Quinn. I know it's tough there, too.
Anyway, big picture from our game, start off with some discipline. We had too many penalties. I think we had like 12 penalties going into this game, which I was really proud of our team being disciplined. And then we had double digit penalties today in every phase. So that we've got to eliminate. We've got to be able to get off the field.
That said, our resiliency and our perseverance of these players, the high character guys that we have, there's something special about this group. I don't know what it is, but there's something special about this team, and I love it. I'm proud of them. No one gave up. The fourth quarter, to be able to come back with a 20-0 score for us versus them is great.
There's just, again, like a lot, a lot of good things, there's some bad, but we're 3-0, and that's what we're not going to lose sight of.
Q. In terms of making that decision, what was the point for you? Looking back at the missed deep throw to Anthony Miller, then you had the interception there against zone, what was the point where you knew a change had to be made?
MATT NAGY: I think really when I knew it was the interception there on 3rd down. We were struggling on 3rd down a lot. We weren't producing points in the red zone, and I just think that sometimes there's a gut feeling as to when to do it, and that just seemed like the right time.
It's never fun. You know, you guys understand these relationships that we build with these guys, with these players, they're strong relationships, and it's not easy, but there's personal relationships and past relationships, and that's just where we were at at that time.
Q. You said you knew after that interception, but was this something you had talked about with your coaching staff, with the quarterbacks at halftime, that this might be happening?
MATT NAGY: We discussed it. I just think that there was a little bit of -- we were lacking a little bit of a rhythm. There wasn't a lot of energy. There was just something missing a little bit.
Again, I always say, when you're playing quarterback, there's only one of them, and no matter what, usually when things are going really well, you get all the credit when you probably shouldn't, and when things are not going well, you get all the blame when you probably shouldn't. But at the same point in time, that comes with the job.
We discussed it, but we wanted to be able to go out and just kind of get a feel for how things would go, and then really when that interception occurred, I think you just kind of felt like, okay, we've got to make a move here.
Q. What happens now? Nick obviously has this great come-from-behind win and it would seem like it would be hard to go back to Mitch next week. Have you decided what the next couple days are going to be like for you as far as who plays going forward?
MATT NAGY: Right, yeah, we haven't yet. I think that's what we'll do is we'll go back and just kind of enjoy this one right now and then we'll talk through where we're at and what we think is the best decision moving forward. We're not honestly there right now, but I think that there's something here that we've just got to discuss, and again, just go through and talk through the situation and understand that there's these feelings that these kids are going through right now, and I think we just want to enjoy the win tonight.
Q. Can you just walk us through sort of how quick and the details of your discussions with Nick when you have to make that change really quick and get him ready to get on the field and know what you're looking for in that situation?
MATT NAGY: You're saying about some of the plays and stuff?
Q. Just getting face to face with Nick, letting him know he's going in and letting him know what's going on.
MATT NAGY: The process, yeah. We just went over to Mitch and told him that really simply put that we're going to go with Nick. There wasn't a lot of talk or anything like that, it's just what it was, and then told Nick that we're going to go with him, and then what you've got to do is you've got to start looking at your play call sheet and just getting a feel for where you're at play-wise. Again, unlike training camp he's not getting any of these reps in the week of practice. You want to go ahead and get a feel for where he's at, and that's what we did.
Q. I feel like we've been having some version of this discussion ever since you guys traded for Foles. How do you explain what he does? How do you explain that a month ago he lost out on the starting job and then today he does that in the fourth quarter?
MATT NAGY: Yeah, well, I would say that with Nick, he kind of has a history in these big moments of making things happen. For me, you guys got to go back and realize, I never -- I know you know this, but I've never called plays with him as the quarterback. I've always been on staff with him but I've never called plays, so there's a little bit of trying to figure out the communication in the headset of what you like, what you don't like, just the simplicities of how you call a play, is it formation first, is it play second? Or is it play first and formation second? Little things like that. But there was just a calm out there that I really felt by him, and you know, you become a little bit one-dimensional, and there's some plays that he did in those last couple drives where he got us in a good situation, and he made a lot of plays happen based off of his experience, and that's good to have. When you have that, that's good.
Q. This seems like about two weeks ago, but how do you guys handle the news that the Falcons had a positive test? What was last night and this morning like for you guys getting ready? And I noticed a couple of your guys had face shields on that hadn't before. Was that related to whatever risk there may be out there?
MATT NAGY: Yeah, I don't think so. We found out yesterday just like everybody else, and I told the team literally the second that that came out because what that does is that helpe ms, it backs me up when I tell them to wear your masks everywhere you go. In the facility, wear your stinking mask. It's not hard. Do it. But don't get relaxed on it because this stuff can happen and it's real and all of a sudden you're told you can't play or you can't coach. I'm currently at a point where I feel weird when I'm not wearing my mask, like right now. But that's real. That's where we're at, and it's too important and losing one guy and I think we all learned through this, and it's a wake-up call that you've got to stay on this thing.
Q. You make the move there to change quarterbacks; how much of that decision was a function of what your offense did week 1 and week 2? If you guys had been rolling the first two weeks, I don't know that you pull him there.
MATT NAGY: Yeah, I would say for us, again, this is -- you get into a situation where you always evaluate how do you feel as an offense, really what are you doing, how are you producing. And I would say the first game obviously we struggled, the first three quarters, and then we caught on fire like in another world that fourth quarter, which was awesome. And then last week we did well in the first and second quarter, and then we struggled mightily in the third and fourth quarter.
Again, you look at the big picture, and I think there's a feel to it when you go through this, and then when you're in a game like this, it's just -- there was a feel today to it. None of this was premeditated, it was just a feel, and that's my job in that role, that if it's going a certain direction, I have to make that decision, and that's the decision that I ended up making.
Q. Regardless of who's playing quarterback, I'm curious how you thought your wide receivers played. You had a couple touchdowns that came off the board but then obviously A-Rob and Anthony both made big plays down the stretch, too.
MATT NAGY: Yeah, I thought they played really well. It's tough to have those two touchdowns called back. I think, again, for sure the second one looked like it was definitely bobbled, and it's still hard to say on the first one with A-Rob, but that's the decision that the refs made and that's why they do what they do. That part was hard, but that's real.
Overall, again, without watching the tape, I felt like they made plays. There was just an energy there that we got a couple there where they had to make some tough catches and then run after the catch and then A-Rob had that one down the sideline which was really neat. You just felt it. I have a lot of belief in our wide receivers and our tight ends, our running backs, everybody for that matter, and I just think overall when guys had to step up today, they did it, and that's probably what I'm most proud about.
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