In Chicago, Steve Rosenbloom writes Bears GM Ryan Pace is "not playing it safe with his job" after announcing Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy as the team's next coach. Nagy has "never been a head coach," and Pace just "shoved Nagy and all his Bears employment chips into the center of the table" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/9). Also in Chicago, Rick Morrissey writes, "I’m working hard at trying to get excited about the Bears’ decision to hire Matt Nagy as their head coach." Nagy has been a play-caller for "all of six NFL games, including a bad playoff loss" to the Titans on Saturday. Morrissey: "Let's give the Bears this: They didn't dawdle." It is "hard to tell if Pace has incredible courage and vision, bad judgment or handcuffs on his wrists supplied by ownership" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/9). In DC, Mark Maske writes the Nagy hiring "signals that other NFL teams, indeed, took note of the Year One success" that the Rams' Sean McVay had after being "hired as the youngest coach in modern NFL history" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/9).
HEAR THAT GROWL: In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette reports there is a "growing sentiment" that the Jaguars' overdue breakthrough season will "elevate the intensity of a true homefield advantage at EverBank in the coming years." Jaguars QB Blake Bortles said, "The bar has now been raised by the fans." The Jaguars’ breakthrough season could be a "launching pad" to reignite the '90s glory years and "make a stronger fan connection." Jaguars President Mark Lamping "remains optimistic putting tarps on seats will soon be a thing of the past." Lamping: "Getting rid of these remaining tarps is simply a function of our sales. With the quality of our 2018 home schedule and the excitement around the team performance, (this) could be the year we are finally tarp-free." Frenette writes the Jaguars’ home-field advantage "is going to be amped up for the foreseeable future" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 1/9).
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE: In Boston, Chad Finn writes agent Don Yee is "one person with external ties to the Patriots who ought to write a book, because he is one of the very few people who knows the whole story" of how QB Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers. Yee, who reps both Garoppolo and Tom Brady, "keeps a low profile," but he is "regarded as a thoughtful and serious representative who prioritizes his clients’ wishes, sometimes at the expense of his commission." He is "not the negotiate-and-tell type." Yee has "never flaunted the fact that he is Brady’s agent in their 18 years together, which is probably one reason why he remains Brady’s agent" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/9).
