BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – During their media sessions at Super Bowl LII Wednesday, Eagles coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles raved about working with new Bears coach Matt Nagy.
Pederson and Nagy spent seven straight seasons together as assistants on coach Andy Reid's staff, from 2009-12 with the Eagles and 2013-15 with the Chiefs. In Kansas City, Pederson served as offensive coordinator and Nagy was quarterbacks coach.
"He's going to do extremely well [with the Bears]," Pederson said. "He's another one that's played. He played the quarterback position at Delaware and had some success after college. He gets the player. He understands the player. He listens to the player, and that's the thing they're going to see in Chicago with him is those types of things."
As a player, Nagy set several school records as an All-American quarterback at Delaware before starring in the Arena Football League. In seven seasons with the New York Dragons, Carolina Cobras, Georgia Force and Columbus Destroyers from 2002-08, Nagy passed for 18,866 yards and 374 touchdowns.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson speaks to the media ahead of Super Bowl LII.
When Pederson left the Chiefs to become Eagles coach in 2016, Nagy was elevated to co-offensive coordinator before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2017. Under his direction this past season, quarterback Alex Smith led the NFL with a career-high 104.7 passer rating while throwing for 26 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
"He's a smart coach," Pederson said. "He can game-plan. He can put plans together and he's going to listen to his staff. They're going to do some good things. It's just a matter of getting them right now on the same page much like I was a year ago and just believing what Matt is saying. He's going to do really well there."
Foles worked with Nagy with the Eagles in 2012 and again with the Chiefs in 2016. Foles excelled as Smith's backup with the Chiefs in limited action. Appearing in three games with one start, he completed a career-high 65.5 percent of his passes for 410 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 105.9 passer rating.
Replacing an injured Smith in a Week 8 game against the Colts, Foles completed 16 of 22 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Chiefs to a 30-14 win in Indianapolis. He made his only start of the season a week later, connecting on 20 of 33 passes for 187 yards and one TD in a 19-14 victory over the Jaguars in Kansas City.
"I think he'll do great with the Bears," Foles said. "Matt's an awesome person. Just being around him, he makes you a better person, and his knowledge and creativity when it comes to football is outstanding.
"Last year was one of the most fun years I've had playing the game of football and Matt Nagy was a big reason for that. The Chicago Bears are very fortunate to have a guy that's going to continue to grow that environment, help that environment and create a productive environment, so I'm excited for him."
