For five excruciating days last winter, new Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy was in attack mode.
He recruited Vic Fangio hard to remain the team's defensive coordinator, knowing Fangio was the best candidate to shepherd a rising defense while Nagy rebuilt the Bears' offense. Fangio had other suitors, including NFC North rival Green Bay Packers, but Nagy sold him on his vision and the value of the foundation he laid in Chicago the previous three seasons. In the meantime, Nagy set his sights on another highly respected assistant coach: offensive-line guru Harry Hiestand, on the staff at Notre Dame at the time.