Bettors and handicappers should prepare for the likelihood that the 2018 Bears are going to strongly resemble Andy Reid-coached teams in Philadelphia and Kansas City.
New Bears head coach Matt Nagy is a Reid disciple and was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017. Nagy’s first game on the sidelines for the Bears will be in Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game against the Ravens (8 p.m., NBC).
What will that likely mean for young quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago offense? Yards, points, clean execution, but disappointment come playoff time. After watching years of futility, Bears’ fans will take that! Here are Nagy’s 2017 rankings in Kansas City:
- 1st in turnover avoidance
- 2nd in yards-per-play
- 5th in yards-per-game
- 6th in points-per-game
Granting that Trubisky isn’t ex-Chiefs QB Alex Smith in terms of experience, his skill-set should fit well in this approach. He showed promise in turnover avoidance last season as a rookie on a bad offense. These are the Bears’ 2017 rankings in the same categories:
- 14th in turnover avoidance
- 22nd in yards-per-play
- 30th in yards-per-game
- 29th in points-per-game
If Nagy can create improvement in those categories, the Bears can rise from 5-11 to relevance fairly quickly. It’s something for you to evaluate as you watch Thursday’s exhibition opener.
Sometimes the best tip for bettors is to pass in August so you can predict potential market surprises when the games are played for real come September. The Bears are currently a two-point underdog to the Ravens, but be sure you watch VSiN for market updates.
Big “for real” series start the two next days in Major League Baseball. VSiN will look at Yankees/Red Sox on Thursday, then a World Series rematch between the Astros and Dodgers on Friday. Football coverage will expand next week when all 32 NFL teams will take the field. Early point spreads show the Giants are -2¹/₂ at home against the Browns on Aug. 9 and the Jets are -1¹/₂ at home against the Falcons on Aug. 10.
