Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy jumped on a conference call with Bay Area reporters on Wednesday morning and discussed his upcoming matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Two opposing players, quarterback Nick Mullens and running back Jeff Wilson, came up during the 10-minute discussion.
Mullens, who is 3-3 as a starter, has passed for 1,754 yards with 10 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.0 in his six games.
"I think it's pretty neat for guys like him that get these opportunities," Nagy said of Mullens. "I can remember going back to his first start, and no one gave him a chance, and coming out with a win. He's a fighter. He's a successful kid in college. He just plays the game the right way. He reminds me of guys that, people don't believe in them. Then you get the coach like Kyle (Shanahan) that gives him a chance, and you can see what he can do."
Like Mullens, Wilson started the season on the practice squad. The 49ers promoted him to the active roster on November 24 after injuries devastated the position. Wilson has carried the football 52 times for 230 rushing yards in four game appearances and one start.
"I just think he does exactly what Shanahan wants," Nagy said of Wilson. "He fits well into their system, and it's kind of one of the 'next man up' mentality-type deals, and I like that. I think just being able to have the versatility that he has and do some of the things that he does is good. I just respect that."
Nagy knows his defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, has his hands full this week trying to prepare to plan for Kyle Shanahan's offense.
"He does a really good job at doing a lot of different concepts from similar formations," Nagy said of Shanahan.
With the NFL being a copy-cat league, does Nagy have anything in his playbook that may have been ripped from the pages of Shanahan's?
"Maybe," he replied. "I just can't tell you what it is."
Could the 49ers see such plays on Sunday?
"Maybe," he replied. "I just can't tell you when."
The 49ers and Bears will kick off from Levi's Stadium on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. PT.