eight passes for 68 yards and a touchdown to Steve Papin as New York lost 43–25. He was later named the starter for the Buffalo Destroyers game, where he was 27-of-37 for 300 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a Dragons 69–54 win. In the Detroit Fury match, Nagy was substituted out for Danny Kanell, who threw three touchdowns to lead the Dragons to a 44–37 win and subsequently became the starter. In June, Kanell's struggles against the Orlando Predators prompted Nagy to return to action in the fourth quarter, where he threw a 12-yard touchdown to Jason Maxwell for his lone score in the 52–33 loss. Aaron Garcia, who was New York's regular starting quarterback until he signed with the San Francisco 49ers in the offseason, returned to the team for the remainder of the 2002 season. Nagy started six games in his rookie year, ending with 1,242 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and five interceptions. During the offseason, he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a flag football game in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that prevented him from playing the 2003 season. While rehabilitating his leg alongside trainer Steve Saunders, he also spent the year receiving his real estate license and working as a substitute PE teacher. When not on the Dragons' active roster, Nagy was the team's color commentator for radio broadcasts. Carolina Cobras On November 13, 2003, Nagy was traded to the Carolina Cobras in exchange for lineman Tim McGill. The Cobras, who went 0–16 in 2003, hired Gregory as offensive coordinator for the 2004 season. In the first game of the year against the Dallas Desperados, Nagy recorded 282 passing yards and seven total touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) as Carolina won 67–41 and snapped a 17-game losing streak. The opening victory was followed by a 54–53 win over the Columbus Destroyers when Nagy threw the game-winning touchdown to Damien Groce as time expired. However, the Cobras lost the next four games and head coach Ed Khayat was fired, leading to Gregory's promotion. In the first game with Gregory as interim head coach, taking on the defending ArenaBowl champion Tampa Bay Storm, Carolina scored 24 unanswered points in the third quarter and Nagy had four touchdown passes as the Cobras won 54–43; it was the Cobras' first home win since 2002. After Carolina dropped to 3–7, including winning only one of their last eight games,