The Bears haven’t had a winning season since 2012, and they might not this year.
But new coach Matt Nagy is going to make sure they have fun along with way.
According to Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears came in from Monday’s win over the Seahawks to a locker room dance party — complete with a disco ball to set the mood.
It’s an idea Nagy borrowed from Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who emphasizes the importance of having fun over a long baseball season.
“We have 16 games, and these wins are so hard to get — so hard to get,” Nagy said. “I want everybody to understand on that team it’s OK to enjoy ’em. You’re allowed to have fun and enjoy ’em.”
Nagy acknowledged that the party was a short one — because this is the NFL after all, and it is very serious and not at all frivolous, according to the very serious men who run it. But he also wanted to make sure his players savored it.
“We go right into [planning for] Arizona five hours later after [Monday] night,” Nagy said. “So let’s celebrate a little bit and have a little fun. And that was one of the coolest moments of being able to see those guys in there, dancing and having a good time — and no one else around, just them. That’s what this is ultimately all about.”
Maddon has a dance party room for the Cubs, and has created a number of other madcap ideas to keep players fresh over a 162-game grind of a season. While there’s obviously a different dynamic in football, Nagy’s also trying to inject a little life into his team, which had five straight years of double-digit losses before he arrived.