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Chicago Bears: Does the 1st Game Say a Lot About New Coaches?

By Erik Lambert

LAKE FOREST, IL - JANUARY 09: New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at Halas Hall on January 9, 2018 in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
LAKE FOREST, IL - JANUARY 09: New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at Halas Hall on January 9, 2018 in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Matt Nagy certainly couldn’t ask for a greater opening test of his coaching mettle with the Chicago Bears. A Sunday night showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

Most head coaches in Bears history live or die by how they perform against the team’s arch nemesis. Those that can’t pass the test don’t last very long. If Nagy is as smart as he seems, he’s already aware of this. That’s why he seemed extra excited when first announcing the matchup to the team during the schedule release.

That said, the challenge is no less daunting. It’s at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers is back healthy from his shoulder injury. The Bears have beaten him just four times in his career. Could another loss signal just more of the same in the coming years of Nagy’s run? To help determine that, it’s best to go back and see what other head coaches did in their opening games.

The question to ask is simple. Did winning or losing that contest have an overarching impact on their tenure in Chicago?

Chicago Bears have a roller coaster history of openers for new coaches

Considering most of the pre-Super Bowl era was dominated by George Halas himself, this list will be relegated to those who succeeded him following his final retirement in 1967. The results were diverse and somewhat interesting. Especially when it comes to determining the big question.

  • Jim Dooley (1968-1971):  Lost 38-28 to the Redskins
  • Abe Gibron (1972-1974):  Lost 37-21 to the Falcons
  • Jack Pardee (1975-1977):  Lost 35-7 to the Colts
  • Neill Armstrong (1978-1981:  Won 17-10 over Cardinals
  • Mike Ditka (1982-1992):  Lost 17-10 to the Lions
  • Dave Wannstedt (1993-1998):  Lost 26-20 to the Vikings
  • Dick Jauron (1999-2003):  Won 20-17 over Chiefs
  • Lovie Smith (2004-2012):  Lost 20-16 to the Lions
  • Marc Trestman (2013-2014):  Won 24-21 over Bengals
  • John Fox (2015-2017):  Lost 31-23 to the Packers

The results are fairly straightforward. It’s clear the first game in the career of a new head coach says absolutely nothing about his final achievements with the team. Trestman, Jauron, and Armstrong all won their first games and ended up being considerable disappointments. Meanwhile, Ditka and Smith, the two most successful of the Super Bowl era, lost their respective openers. Both to the Lions in a fun twist.

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This should shed a pretty clear light on what expectations Bears fans should have for Matt Nagy going into the primetime opener against the Packers. Would it be great if he won? Of course. Beating the Packers is never a bad thing. Would it signal future disaster if they lose? Not at all. The cliche but no less true saying goes that it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Bill Belichick lost his first game as head coach, both in Cleveland and New England. So maybe it’s not the best idea to jump to conclusions, either way, come this September.

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