Matt Nagy is making an impressive first impression as an NFL head coach.
Nagy has helped develop second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky into a solid NFL starter, convinced Vic Fangio to stay on as defensive coordinator, and has the Chicago Bears in position to earn their first playoff berth since 2010 in his first year on the job.
For doing all that, Nagy was picked as having done the NFL's best coaching job in 2018 in voting released Friday by a panel of 10 football writers for The Associated Press.
Nagy received seven of the 10 first-place votes for his work leading the Bears (9-4) to the top of the NFC North behind an improved offense led by Trubisky and a fierce defense spearheaded by preseason acquisition Khalil Mack.
"(Nagy's) overseen a total turnaround of the Bears in just his first year as an NFL head coach, taking a team that hadn't finished above .500 since 2012 and turning them into the best of the NFC North," said Washington-based Howard Fendrich, who voted Nagy first. "He's an offensive guru who learned from former boss Andy Reid, and Chicago's play calling has been creative and fun-and overcome limitations at the QB spot to be good enough to let a superb defense lead the way."
Seattle's Pete Carroll finished second in the voting for rebuilding the Seahawks on the fly following the departure of most key members from the Super Bowl-winning Legion of Boom defense.
The Seahawks can clinch a playoff spot with a win this week despite losing key players Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril in the past year. Star safety Earl Thomas has also been sidelined most of the season, but it hasn't slowed down the Seahawks.
"For the second time, Carroll is retooling Seattle's roster," said New York-based Barry Wilner, who voted Carroll second behind Nagy. "Yet he's somehow improved the team in the first year of that rebuild. This is a textbook case of a coaches' heavy influence on a club's success."
Carroll finished second despite not getting a first-place vote. The other coaches named No. 1 on ballots were Indianapolis first-year coach Frank Reich, who got one vote, and New England's Bill Belichick, who got two.
Reich, who has helped a healthy Andrew Luck regain his top form, finished eighth overall. He wasn't even the top choice for the Colts, only getting the job after Josh McDaniels backed out shortly after Reich won the Super Bowl as offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.
The rankings:
1. Matt Nagy, Bears
2. Pete Carroll, Seahawks
3. Andy Reid, Chiefs
4. Anthony Lynn, Chargers
5. Sean McVay, Rams
6. Bill O'Brien, Texans
7. Sean Payton, Saints
8. Frank Reich, Colts
9. Bill Belichick, Patriots
10. John Harbaugh, Ravens