Alliance... » One more victory to finish the regular season

LAKE FOREST Walter Payton Jerseys Stitched , Ill. (AP) — was in the books and that meant the party was on at “Club Dub.”The Chicago Bears were swaying and jumping and pumping their fists as the strobe lights flashed and “Swag Surfing” by Fast Life Yungstaz blasted through the visitors’ locker room at Minnesota.The video then cut to coach Matt Nagy leading his players as they raised their right arms and thrusted them toward the ground.“Boom!” they yelled.“One more!” Nagy screamed.“Boom!”“And another!” he yelled again.“Boom!”“Ooh, that feels good!” Nagy said.How could it not?The Bears (12-4) have been lowering the boom on just about everyone they have faced in their first season under Nagy, a magical ride where the next stop is Sunday when they host defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia in their first playoff game in eight years. Chicago comes in with an NFC North title after four straight last-place finishes, nine wins in 10 games and a belief that anything is possible.Nagy inherited what looked like a major rebuild when he became the Bears’ 16th head coach. Chicago went 14-34 the previous three seasons under John Fox and won 13 games in two years under Marc Trestman.But Nagy already has more victories than any other rookie coach in franchise history. Beyond that, he has made Sundays fun again in Chicago. He is demanding and creative, running trick plays with names like “Santa’s Sleigh” and turning the locker room into a virtual nightclub after victories. His demeanor seems to resonate with players and fans.To the people who have known him the longest, none of this is all that surprising.They saw the charm and determination as he developed into a star quarterback at Manheim Central in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country and a record-setter at Delaware. He’s in quite a spot at age 40, considering he was just about out of pro football a decade earlier.With a young family, he was selling new homes after the Arena Football League folded. He got the break he needed from Andy Reid in Philadelphia with an assist from a college teammate. And look at him now.“I think if you’re given a chance and you’re driven and you’re obsessed and you are consumed with being given an opportunity to make people right or prove yourself right, then the sky is the limit,” Nagy said.Bill Nagy thinks back to when his son was in about the eighth grade and a clown in a dunk tank on the boardwalk in Seaside Park, New Jersey, wouldn’t stop taking playful jabs at the boy.The more the clown ran his mouth, the more determined Matt Nagy became.“It was maybe $2 for three throws,” Bill Nagy said. “He was so sure that he was going to hit the bullseye and knock the clown into the water. I’ll tell you what Youth Chase Daniel Jerseys , I must have ponied up probably $20. Matt kept asking me for $2 at a time because this clown was just talking smack and making fun of him. … He didn’t want to leave until he hit that bullseye and sent him into the water. He finally did it.”Bill Nagy was a college defensive tackle who has taught and coached at the high school level off and on since the 1970s. He was the defensive line coach for a powerhouse team at Elizabeth High School in New Jersey when Todd Bowles — who Matt Nagy would work with on Reid’s staff in Philadelphia — was a star.By the time his son dunked that clown, Bill Nagy had already noticed certain skills and leadership as the young quarterback worked his way through Manheim’s youth program.Gail Stouch saw an innate charisma in Nagy, an only child, even when he was just a few years old. She moved the family about 150 miles west to her hometown of Manheim from Piscataway when he was about 3, shortly after divorcing Bill. It didn’t take him long to start developing a wide network of friends particularly when he started playing sports.“He has that charismatic personality that people gravitate toward,” she said. “It’s interesting. Outgoing.”It wasn’t always smooth for Nagy. His drive may have led to some confrontations early on with his high school coach Mike Williams over a play call, mistake or some other disagreement. But they worked through it, forged a strong bond. And Nagy led Manheim Central to two state semifinals in the 1990s.“I like players who show emotion, who have a pulse so to speak,” said Williams, a head coach for 34 years. “He certainly had a pulse. I really didn’t think it was overboard. A couple times there were maybe disagreements, but that was just short-term. Halfway through his junior year, we clicked on everything.”Williams also saw a leader, someone who just had a way with others. He was the one other kids gravitated to.“He had a good group of friends, and it was a variety Chase Daniel Jerseys Stitched ,” Stouch said. “Lots of them. Not necessarily all involved in sports. … As far as coaching, he loved kids. And he loved being a teacher of younger kids. You have to have that leadership and take control, set the example.”Nagy coached youth football with a friend in high school and worked camps at Delaware, where he remains the school’s all-time leader in yards passing.“He’s the type of guy that would be good at anything he does because he’s a super-motivated dude,” said Jason Nerys, a college teammate.About two years ago, Nagy predicted at a booster club luncheon in his hometown that he would become an NFL head coach someday. But he didn’t draw it up this way.He thought he was going to the New York Giants coming out of college in 2001, only to lose that opportunity after they drafted Jesse Palmer in the fourth round. There was a tryout with the Packers that didn’t lead to a contract. He spent six years in the Arena League before it folded following the 2008 season.He got his job selling new construction houses for a company back home around that time and got internships at training camp in back-to-back summers for Philadelphia with an assist from college teammate Brett Veach, who was working for the Eagles.In 2010, Nagy had a decision to make. Reid was offering full-time work as a coaches assistant, but it came with a significant pay cut, a risky move with a young family.Nagy talked it over with his wife and high school sweetheart Stacey, and decided to take the plunge. For about the first six months, that meant hitting the road at 3:30 a.m. every day so he could make it to the facility 99 miles away by 5. But he kept working his way up the coaching tree from there while following Reid to Kansas City, becoming the Chiefs‘ quarterbacks coach Youth Adam Shaheen Jerseys , offensive coordinator and ultimately their play-caller late last season.The Bears liked the looks of him and the potential chemistry with their young quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky. Nagy was still 39 when his booster club prediction came true.“If you were to say to me, ‘You’re going to get these opportunities, what would you do with it?'” Nagy said. “I’d tell you I’d be right here. But I was able to get to this point for one reason, and that’s through all of the support system I have with family, friends, coaches, mentors and players. That’s the reason I’m here.”Storylines to watch in Bears’ return from bye week With a week of rest behind them, the Chicago Bears will be returning to action on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. They entered their bye week coming off of a three-game winning streak, and while one may argue that the timing of their week off could hinder their momentum, their schedule for the next month have multiple easily winnable games.So far this year, Chicago’s defense has developed into one of the best units in the league. The offense, while not as dominant, has flashed signs of what it could become. As we enter the first game after their bye week, let’s take a look at a few storylines that bears fans should keep an eye on for the remainder of the year.Is Mitchell Trubisky for real?Mitchell Trubisky finally had his breakout game in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a 73.1 completion percentage Adam Shaheen Jerseys Stitched , 354 passing yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions and 53 rushing yards on three attempts to boot, Trubisky looked the part of a franchise quarterback.After what was easily the best performance of his young career, the signal caller must prove that his outing against the Buccaneers was not just a flash in the pan. Prior to said game, Trubisky’s footwork was sloppy. His decision making was often limited to just one read. His confidence was lacking. That said, he is going to need more than one game to prove that he can carry the Bears to the playoffs.Chicago has more talent on their roster than they have had in years. While still early in the year, their defense has played the best it has since the days of Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman. A lot of their offensive success, though, has yet to be unleashed. If Trubisky can prove that he is the real deal, then the Bears could very realistically stay atop the NFC North. Can Jordan Howard turn things around?For his first two seasons, Jordan Howard was a true force to be reckoned with in the ground game. After consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, many expected the running back to carry on his momentum into 2018. So far Youth Kevin White Jerseys , though, that has yet to be the case.Howard has 203 rushing yards on 64 carries through four games: an average of merely 3.2 yards per carry. His ability to evade tacklers has been subpar as of late. He has struggled running outside of the tackles, and his ability to hit the hole as a downhill runner hasn’t been as good as he has shown in past seasons. Granted, the Bears haven’t done a great job of making sure that he succeeds. As friend of Windy City Gridiron Johnathan Wood recently pointed out, Howard has seen 30 percent of his runs come against an eight-man front, nearly identical to his 31 percent against a six-man front. In addition to Chicago’s inability to give him favorable situations in which he can run the ball, their offensive line has not been able to consistently open up holes for him.Howard entered the 2018 season as arguably the best proven talent on the Bears’ offense. If he can return back to old form - and if his surroundings allow him to do so - then they could become a much more dangerous unit.Are the Bears a Super Bowl contender?At 3-1, the Bears have one of the best records in the NFL. Their only loss came at the hands of Aaron Rodgers in a game that saw both Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith see limited playing time. All things considered, there are few teams who have had a better start to the regular season than the Bears.But will they be able to keep that up?Chicago still has the bulk of their divisional schedule left to go. Although none of the teams in the NFC North have been stellar to start the year, none of them can be considered pushovers, especially this early in the season. They also have the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots left on their schedule, which will undoubtedly serve as tough matchups for them down the line.The Bears have done a very good job to kick off the 2018 season. They’ve been able to pick up wins against rather lackluster competition, and they have made big plays on both sides of the ball. If they can keep up this level of play throughout the year, then they could make some noise in an NFC conference that is full of surprises early on in the year.