For no reason, Bears coach Matt Nagy out of the blue made a point recently to tell Akiem Hicks how much he appreciated “the way he has handled this training camp.”
It had nothing to do with Hicks’ desire for a contract extension that compelled Nagy to massage his star defensive end. Nothing to do with any possible unhappiness or frustration he might be feeling. Maybe the mood just struck him.
“I mean, he has practiced hard. He’s being a great leader in meetings. He’s really been awesome,” Nagy said. “And for that I told him, ‘You know, sometimes we as coaches can always talk about the bad — whether it’s what you did wrong in a play or what we need to do here or there.