Kevin Warren (Creative Commons: Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC)
Details are emerging about the circumstances surrounding the Chicago Bears’ firing of Matt Eberflus, and they aren’t pretty. Reports out of Chicago indicate the Bears’ locker-room was a volatile place after another excruciating loss.
It seems that CB, Jaylon Johnson, went off on Eberflus with a tirade that can charitably can be described as colorful. At that point, Eberflus, like a Thanksgiving turkey, was cooked.
Was a players’ revolt justified?
That’s a question that can be debated, but it was seemingly inevitable. The players knew they were being out coached. They have far too much talent to have a record of 4–8.
A far bigger question is why the Bears’ organization put up with Eberflus’ incompetence as long as they did. Eberflus should have been fired after last season. Failing that, he should have been canned after Commanders’ Hail Mary Fiasco. Or at the very least after the team laid down and died against an inferior Patriots team at home. But the organization did nothing.
And frustration grew.
Why did Matt Eberflus do a press conference shortly before being fired?
The simple answer is because the Bears organization hadn’t decided for sure that they were going to fire Eberflus. The organization’s fear was that canceling Eberflus’ press conference would signal that something was up. Maybe the Bears didn’t want to give their fans false hope.
Despite the obvious need to fire Eberflus, the Bears reluctance to do so leads me to believe the organization would have done nothing without a players’ revolt.
That’s what happens when you have a weak coaching staff and organization.
Who’s heading up the search for a new coach?
By all accounts, Ryan Poles was the man behind the hiring of Matt Eberflus. It also seems that Poles was the final decision maker in retaining Eberflus for this season.
The fact that he was so strongly in Eberflus’ corner actually hurts his credibility in looking for a new head coach. I heard one report that said Poles would assist club president, Kevin Warren in the search for a new coach.
So who makes the final decision? With the Bears that’s always a murky area.
No, the Bears didn’t ruin Caleb Williams
Before the season, there was speculation that the Bears’ organization was so dysfunctional they would ruin Caleb Williams. Initially I thought that was ridiculous, but now that doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
However, it seems like Williams has enough talent to overcome the deficiencies of the Bears’ organization. In addition, it looks like the organization has been shaken from its apathy. Help is coming.
Let’s clear some things up
The Bears have been accused of ruining Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields. While the Bears did them no favors, based on their post-Bears careers, I’d say they just aren’t that good.
In addition, they took heat for not drafting DeShaun Watson. I assume they have masseuses in Chicago, so I think the Bears dodged a bullet there.
The Bears are deficient as an organization, but there’s no need to add additional crimes to their rap list. It’s long enough on its own merits.
Thoughts about Bears head coach search
The Bears are reportedly looking for a “leader of men” in their head coaching search. I have a couple of thoughts on that.
Please, no Bill Belichick. he’s 72 years old. Mike Vrabel would bring similar qualities, and age wouldn’t be an issue.
Wes Johnson could be okay, but personally, I’d like to see an established guy at the reins, with another good offensive mind as OC. If Thomas Brown doesn’t get the head coaching job maybe he would consider coming back as OC.
Kliff Kingsbury is another name being tossed around as a Bears’ coaching candidate. I still remember his stint with the Arizona Cardinals. It didn’t scream leader of men.
Regardless of the Bears’ organization chaos, their head coaching job should be appealing in part because of Caleb Williams but also because of the overall talent level of the team. And they have cap space and an extra second round draft choice in next year’s draft.
And after all, the team is the Chicago Bears. A successful coach could own the city.
