What Bears coach Matt Nagy said was true — that his decision not to play young, inexperienced quarterback Mitch Trubisky and most of the starters on both sides of the ball for 20 or 25 plays against the Chiefs in Saturday’s penultimate preseason game won’t affect the season opener against the Packers.
But I don’t think it was the truth.
I think the reason he sat most of his first-stringers in the preseason game that teams traditionally consider the most important and use as a dress rehearsal was the fear of injury, period.
But he didn’t say that.
Initially, Nagy said he made the surprise move Friday because he liked the way his team practiced during the week.
Which sounds insulting. Nobody believes practices are as fast and tough as games. Game speed can’t be replicated except in, yes, games, and a coach who talked big about getting his team “calloused up’’ has to know that’s best accomplished in actual tackle football games.
But Nagy went the other way, and there’s only one good reason a coach passes on the chance to get better, and that’s injury.
Nagy should have said that. Should have said that and more. Should have said this:
“I’m not playing most of my starters on both sides of the ball in the next preseason game because I’m worried about injuries, plain and simple.
“It’s a risk-reward thing, and the risk of losing an important player, starting with a potential franchise quarterback, isn’t worth running another live-action version of a run-pass option.
“And besides, we don’t run any potential game-changing plays in preseason games. We hide everything, which makes the idea of risking injury in such games even more of a joke.
“So, it we’re going to blow a play because of a lack of execution in live action, it’s going to be in live action that matters. If we’re going to lose a starter in a game, we’re going to lose a starter in a game that matters, not a game that could kill our season before it gets started.
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“Look, preseason games are a clown college that owners use to extort season-ticket holders. You can’t get season seats for the regular season unless you fork over cash for preseason games. What a racket. I mean, even the poorest franchise is worth more than $1.5 billion, so you’re telling me these people need ticket and beer money from two of the worst and dumbest games any con man ever ginned up?
“All owners say they want to win. OK. Fine. Then prove it by eliminating preseason games and changing the whole approach. Run two weeks of drills in camp, and then schedule joint practices with three teams, and then start the regular season.
“Joint practices are some of the most productive weeks because players hit someone who isn’t a teammate and the intensity levels get raised. What’s more, you don’t know what your opponent is going to do, whereas you almost always know what your own team is trying to run.
“No, it’s not game speed, but it’s better than practicing against just your own guys and it’s more instructive.
“Yeah, I know, players can still get injured in such things, too, but I prefer this risk-reward.
“Which reminds me: If I were in charge of one of these multibillion-dollar franchises, I would demand larger rosters. They can afford it and they need it. How is a 53-man roster anything but arbitrary? The league would be better by raising the roster to 65 or 70, and here’s why:
“Every team will suffer injuries, but won’t always have roster flexibility to minimize it and remain competitive. A 70-man roster could change that greatly.
“Most specifically, a 70-man roster would allow a team to build offensive line depth to protect the quarterback, which NFL owners have legislated into the most important position in sports, an investment they’ve comically refused to hedge with additional steps. Connect the dots, idiots.’’
Alas, Nagy didn’t say any of that. He made his move and he explained why, and you over there, you the season-ticket holder, shut up and recite the three-digit code on the back of your credit card.
Twitter @steverosenbloom
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