(Getty Images/Jesus Calonge)
Matt Eberflus never fails to amaze. Matt was in rare form Thursday as he watched the clock run down with a timeout in his pocket as the Chicago Bears lost to the Detroit Lions 23–20. With under a minute to play, the Bears appeared in position to actually win the game or at the very least attempt a game-tying field goal. However, sacks and penalties coupled with Eberflus pulling a Joe Biden/Mitch Mcconnell intervened again.
And as usual, Eberflus poured salt into the wounds of Bears fans with a post-game interview that shows just how out of touch with reality he is. Eberflus said of the game-ending fiasco, “I like what we did there.” That response was even more disgusting than the clock management. Now, on to five thoughts about the Matt Eberflus situation.
1: How about some accountability?
Offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron was sacked because of poor performance. It seems like he was scapegoated to some extent. Obviously, he needed to go. Now that Thomas Brown had taken the reins of the offense, Williams has performed better. The idea behind sacking Waldron was he was hurting Caleb Williams. I doubt retaining Eberflus is helping Williams.
2: Firing a head coach in midseason isn’t impossible.
Teams do it all the time. Yes, I know the Bears have never done it before. In part because they are dysfunctional and possibly cheap. But it’s not logistically impossible. Plus, it would give the Bears a chance to get an idea of what they have in house in terms of coaching.
3: What about Thomas Brown?
Brown has seemed to do well as the Bears’ new OC. There is a school of thought that Brown needs to stay in his current role and concentrate on the development of Caleb Williams. However, if the Bears hire somebody outside the organization in the offseason, there’s no guarantee that Brown will be retained as OC. Maybe a new head coach will want his own OC. And couldn’t Brown be given the job on an interim basis with the understanding that if he’s not named permanent head coach, he would still be the OC? Plus, the Bears would have a chance to see what Brown would bring to the table as a head coach.
4: Firing Eberflus would boost morale.
And not just the morale of fans. Players know they are being outcoached, and they go into each game knowing they are at a disadvantage. Sacking Eberflus would at least be an acknowledgment from management that they know what the players are dealing have been dealing with.
5: Firing Eberflus now would be a kindness to him.
Almost everyone agrees that Eberflus will eventually be fired. Financially he won’t matter to Eberflus if it’s today or after the season. Eberflus is clearly in over his head and can’t be enjoying himself. He’s a pariah locally and a laughingstock nationally. Get him out of his misery and throw the fans a bone. Fire Eberflus now.
PS, the Bears have just fired Matt Eberflus.
