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 Bobby Okereke Jersey , 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 Khari Willis Jersey , 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.“He took a team that went 4-12 last year, worked through a rough 1-5 start that could’ve easily turned into another losing season, and has them in playoff contention,” said Philadelphia-based Rob Maaddi, who voted Reich first. “Reich’s success in Indy coupled with Philadelphia’s offensive misery since his departure after the Super Bowl prove his value.”Belichick, who has a record five Super Bowl titles, finished in ninth place despite getting two first-place votes. Some voters believed this year wasn’t his best coaching job, but he still had strong support from others.“Despite the “Miami Miracle”, he has the Patriots on the verge of a 10th consecutive division title,” New York-based Simmi Buttar said. “Aside from quarterback of course Josh Allen Jersey , this is hardly the most talented roster in Foxborough, yet it would surprise no one if they once again reached the Super Bowl.”Belichick was one of seven coaches named as a top 10 coach on all 10 ballots, joining Nagy, Carroll, third-place Andy Reid of Kansas City, fifth-place Sean McVay of the Rams, sixth-place Bill O’Brien of Houston, and seventh-place Sean Payton of New Orleans.Reid had the Chiefs tied for the most wins in the league through Week 14 after targeting quarterback Pat Mahomes in the 2017 draft and then cutting ties with longtime starter Alex Smith in the offseason to give Mahomes a chance.Mahomes has thrown a league-high 45 TD passes and is the latest quarterback to thrive under Reid’s tutelage.“Sure, the Chiefs were expected to be good this year, but Reid went all in with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback — and this year’s squad could be the veteran coach’s best chance at a Super Bowl since his days in Philadelphia,” New York-based Dennis Wazsak Jr. said.The Chargers’ Anthony Lynn was on nine of 10 ballots and finished fourth overall, while John Harbaugh of Baltimore came in 10th place.
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros enjoyed their share of luck and made some of their own during their 12-game winning streak, but on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays, they tasted regression.

Well Jawaan Taylor Jersey , at least right fielder George Springer did. Already mired in a miserable slump dating back one month, Springer had a potential game-tying, three-run home run snagged by Toronto right fielder Randal Grichuk with no outs in the ninth inning of the Astros’ 6-3 loss. Grichuk shifted from center field to right in the ninth to make way for standout defender Kevin Pillar.

Instead of pulling the Astros even at 6-all, Springer finished 0-for-5 with a strikeout and three runners stranded. He entered the series with a .196/.322/.353 slash line since May 26, the first game after he improved his OPS to .894 with a robust .305/.367/.527 line through 50 games.

“It sucks,” Springer said. “There’s not really anything else to say about it. It’s tough. It is what it is. They win.”

Despite opening Monday tied with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for the best record in the majors, the Astros (52-28) have been a bit unlucky in close, low-scoring games. While their pitching staff has performed splendidly in the first half of the season, the Astros are just 8-14 in one-run games and dropped to 7-19 when scoring three or fewer runs. Houston has run roughshod over opponents on the road, but the loss to Toronto dropped the Astros to a modest 23-17 at home.

“Baseball can be pretty cruel,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “That’s a tough one. Right off the bat, I thought George got one. It carried and carried and carried and looked like he (Grichuk) had to go pretty deep into the stands to get it. George delivered a great swing. Cruel sport.”

Right-hander Charlie Morton (9-1, 2.74 ERA) will start on Tuesday for the Astros. Morton is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA over two career starts against the Blue Jays, with both coming last season. He has scuffled in June Josh Oliver Jersey , going 2-1 with a 4.29 ERA while issuing 15 walks and posting six hit batsmen over 21 innings.

Toronto (37-41) will counter with left-hander Ryan Borucki, who will make his major league debut. The Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect, Borucki made the climb from Class A Dunedin to Triple-A Buffalo over the past two seasons. He was 6-5 with a 3.27 ERA over 13 starts with the Bison, recording 58 strikeouts in 77 innings. Borucki was scratched from his start on Sunday.

Selected by Toronto in the 15th round of the 2012 draft, Borucki missed the 2013 season following Tommy John surgery. He slowly reclaimed his strength, logging 135 2/3 innings in 2016 and a career-high 150 1/3 innings last season. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons coyly refused to confirm published reports that Borucki would make his debut, but the secret is out.

“We’ll have the young kid going (Tuesday) so hopefully he gives us some innings,” Gibbons said in response to concerns over his fatigued bullpen. “Nice way to debut.”

When pressed that he accidentally revealed his hand, Gibbons quipped, “You don’t know what young kid. Could be one of three or four of them.”