Matt Nagy has brought much more than a division-winning team back to Chicago in his first season as Bears coach. He's also reintroduced fun to football in the Windy City.
With his creative offense and trick plays, Nagy has constantly given players, coaches and fans a reason to smile. This season the Bears have scored touchdowns on a run by a defensive lineman, a reception by an offensive tackle and a pass by a running back.
Nothing, however, encapsulates the new fun vibe more than "Club Dub." After every Bears win this season, home or road, the team's locker room is transformed into a club-like atmosphere complete with a disco ball, flashing lights and loud music. Players celebrate their latest victory by dancing, as they say, like no one's watching.
"I love it, I absolutely love it," Nagy said. "Before everybody's in there, the setup crew's in there getting ready and the music's going and then all of a sudden you see everybody starting to filter in and they're going crazy."
Nagy got the idea for "Club Dub" while chatting with Cubs manager Joe Maddon during the summer. Maddon instituted similar dance parties for his team as a reminder that every victory should be celebrated and not taken for granted.
"In this business, sometimes you overlook how special a win is because sometimes you come to work every day and then you go out and expect that," said quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. "But you've got to remember to enjoy this.
"The dance parties and Club Dub in the locker room after games have made this experience so much better. It's become very special for this team and we look forward to that. It reminds us to enjoy every single win and that the hard work is paying off. And everyone is looking forward to that every single game we play."
Club Dub seemingly has grown in popularity with each win the Bears have recorded.
"Everybody's getting in on it," Trubisky said. "It's absolutely hilarious. Guys are going nuts. You've got choreographed dances going down. You've got waves. Somebody might have been wave-surfing last game, I don't know. It's just getting crazy in the there. Club Dub is rolling. It's a lot of fun."
So far Nagy has been a spectator and not a participant in Club Dub.
"Dancing puts you in a good mood and it's a way for people to celebrate," Nagy said. "I'm not a dancer, so I enjoy living vicariously through a lot of others, and there's some creative ones that go in there. At the beginning of the year there might have been one or two guys in that circle and they'll still do that. But now what's happening is they're all doing it together."
Club Dub is one of many things that Nagy has introduced in his first season as coach to build a brotherhood on a team that won the NFC North this year after four straight last-place finishes.
"It's incredible," Trubisky said. "Just like the small things that coach Nagy has brought to this organization to create that camaraderie and bring the offense the defense and the special teams together, it's something we're doing as a team. It's not about individuals. It's about enjoying this whole thing and winning together as a team, and celebrating as a team is just as important. It's been a huge camaraderie thing for us. It's been awesome."
