O'Donnell: Savvy Larrivee said it loud - Nagy's offensive 'arrogance' could lance Bears season
THURSDAY NIGHT IN CHICAGO, dawn is breaking everywhere.
Light a candle.
Curse the glare.
Khalil Mack and the Bears begin anew on a massive center stage, against the visiting Green Bay Packers (NBC-5, AM-780, 7 p.m.)
At point of entry for the team's fervent fan base, two mantras:
• No significant injuries please; and,
• The only thing the 2019 Bears have to fear is Matt Nagy himself.
Few have agreed as publicly as the brilliant Wayne Larrivee.
And what better observer walks Planet NFL?
Larrivee will be calling his record 69th regular-season Bears-Green Bay game.
That breaks down to No. 41 for The Packers Radio Network - flagshipped at WTMJ-AM (620) in Milwaukee - after 28 during his 14-year run as play-by-play voice of the Monsters (1985-98).
Larrivee was never more vocal regarding Nagy's reckless proclivity for offensive risk than last December at Soldier Field.
Early in the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 14 and the Bears driving, Nagy called some variant of "Santa's Sleigh" on a third-and-1 and had the ball snapped directly to Tarik Cohen out of a T-formation.
Cohen fumbled and Green Bay's Dean Lowry recovered.
"More arrogance by Matt Nagy!" Larrivee roared.
"A trick play!
"All the tricks in the world and they're foiling the Bears now!
"Now if only the Packers can take it and shove it up you know where.
"Wow!"
Of course it was Mack and mates to the rescue, limiting Aaron Rodgers and associates to punt, punt, Eddie Jackson interception and field goal as the Bears won 24-17.
Larrivee never backed off his spontaneous insight, later telling media:
"The defense is why (the Bears) are where they're at.
"Let's not kid ourselves.
"Matt Nagy has done a nice job.
"(But) some of these offensive coaches, like Matt Nagy and Sean McVay in Los Angeles, they get a little caught up in themselves.
"In Chicago, you've got a great defense. Why screw it up?"
So, based on the wisdom of a very sage pro football mind, perhaps there should be a third mantra for Bears fans in the season opener:
May Matt Nagy lose the kooky half of his color-coded call sheet on the way to the Soldier Field sideline.
LOST IN THE SURGE of college football's opening weekend was the emerging possibility Lovie Smith and the Fighting Illini may be gaining even more upward traction.
Smith and his Champaign whiskers take their 1-0 mark to Connecticut on Saturday (CBSSN, AM-890, 2:30 p.m.).
That's where Kelly Belford, president of The Metro New York Illini Club has assured members, "At least 60 are expected" for a pregame tailgate outside 40,000-seat Pratt & Whitney Stadium.
(Well, it's a start.)
Key additions for Illinois are two Power 5 graduate transfers: quarterback Brandon Peters (Michigan) and guard Richie Petitbon (Alabama), who is indeed the grandson of all-time Bears great Richie Petitbon.
Two Vegas-vectored eyebrow raisers:
• The Illini have pushed to 20-point favorites as they look for their first nonconference road victory since 2007; and,
• Smith's lads could hit their bye week at 4-0 with some back-home luck 'n pluck vs. Eastern Michigan and Nebraska.
That's particularly noteworthy since national books closed the over/under on Illinois wins this season at 4½.
STREET-BEATIN': Truly inspired civic coordination to have a free "NFL Kickoff Celebration" concert featuring Rhapsody, Meghan Trainor and Meek Mill playing out in Grant Park Thursday just as 62,000 or so will be trying to get into Soldier Field. (All simply strengthens the argument for the family room, Diet Faygo Grape and microwaveable gyoza.) … Fun watching Urban Meyer interview his successor - new Ohio State head coach Ryan Day - on the premiere of Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" last Saturday. Sort of like getting to see Tori Spelling talk to Jennie Garth about their friendship through love and loss. (The show drew an 0.8 rating, reportedly bad enough to leave Joel Osteen thinking about sending them money.) … Extremely gracious and good-guy return to the Cubs by Ben Zobrist this week. Although hearing "Bennie and the Jets" remain his walk-up song serves to remind what an absolute bunco artist Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin was. ("We'll kill the fatted calf tonight, so stick around.") … Cheryl Raye-Stout presented highlights from a textured interview with Bears chairman George McCaskey alongside Jenn White on WBEZ-FM (91.5)'s "The Morning Shift" Wednesday. Full conversation drops Thursday as a podcast via "Morning Shift." (It's worth the effort.) … Reclusive Diann Burns - still one of the most memorable anchors in the history of Chicago TV news - long-distanced cheers to Taylor Townsend on her three victories at the U.S. Open. (Townsend, who had childhood homes in Chatham and Englewood, is a product of Kamau Murray's remarkable XS Tennis.) … Gamy rumor that a Churchill Downs Inc. candidate may emerge in next spring's race to succeed Tom Hayes, who is retiring as mayor of Arlington Heights. A preponderance of AH voters may correctly perceive that sort of bobo-ism as "corporate hubris in the first degree." … Now WGN-AM (720)'s Todd Manley says that both Jarrett Payton and Adam Hoge will be traveling with the Bears all season. Ed O'Bradovich, Dan Hampton and Glen Kozlowski begin their postgame snapper immediately following CHI-GB. … Speaking of Payton - this time Walter Payton - David Montgomery fantasists must remember that in his Bears debut, "Sweetness" gained 0 yards on 8 carries and caught 1 pass for -4 yards during a 35-7 loss to the visiting Colts. … And good-sport Brazil coach Aleksandar Petrovic, after his ancient Alex Garcia got the best of a mildly interested Giannis Antetokounmpo during a 79-78 win over Greece at the FIBA World Cup, told reporters: "You have a guy who's 23 years old and just won (NBA) MVP and the guy who is 40 years old kicks his (butt)."
• Jim O'Donnell's Sports & Media column appears Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com.