Multiple Bears players weigh in on the decision to remove Shane Waldron as the team's offensive coordinator
It's clear by now that the decision to part ways with former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was the right move to make and the first step in the right direction.On Wednesday, head coach Matt Eberflus reiterated that the decision to relive Waldron of his duties was his and his alone while also opening the room […]
It's clear by now that the decision to part ways with former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was the right move to make and the first step in the right direction.
On Wednesday, head coach Matt Eberflus reiterated that the decision to relive Waldron of his duties was his and his alone while also opening the room to Thomas Brown as the team's new offensive coordinator.
While it was his decision to make, Eberflus added that he allowed input from other higher up voices but noted that the decision to remove Waldron wasn't specifically asked for by his players, although some expressed frustrations with the offense.
With the decision now final, we finally got to get some of the true thoughts from respected player voices inside the locker room.
The most jarring response came from veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen on Wednesday when asked why things didn't work out with Waldron running the offense.
"I would say just probably he was too nice of a guy," Allen said, via Dan Wiederer. "I think during OTAs, training camp, he kind of fell into a trap of letting things go, not holding people accountable. Obviously those things lead to a slippery slope. Just professionalism and doing things the right way from the beginning."
Running back Travis Homer, who spent time with Waldron in Seattle before joining him in Chicago, fired back on Allen's comments and feelings.
“I know a lot of guys in Seattle, they responded well to how it was," Homer said, via Kalyn Kahler. "I guess some guys here, they don’t really like that too much.”
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and when it comes to handling players in a locker room, you're not going to appeal to everyone. And that should be the point. It seems like Waldron tried too hard to get everyone to like him instead of coaching them and holding his players accountable like some would prefer.
Fellow wide receiver DJ Moore also expressed issues with how Waldron handled his in-game adjustments while talking to the media on Wednesday.
“When we wanted a call, it was like a drive too late," Moore said. "Or when we wanted to make adjustments and we waited until halftime to make it. And then we don't get the same look."
While he had some issues with his offensive coordinator, Moore added that he was shocked to see him removed from his position on the team.
"I mean, this is a business. We weren't putting out the results that we needed to. That being said, we did let go of Shane. That was shocking," Moore added. "I don't think anyone asked for him to be gone. We expressed our frustration, but never to have somebody's livelihood taken away. But it's on to Thomas [Brown], and now we have to support Thomas."
Brown, the team's new offensive coordinator, will now be in charge of not only getting the struggling unit back on the right path but also bringing his players back together amid the changes. Here's what he said on Wednesday during his first press conference as OC to handle that issue.
"To me, it's about clear, open and honest communication, I'm not gonna dance around certain topics or even individuals when it comes to addressing certain needs," Brown explained. "But also alleviating pressure off ourselves as coaches to get stuff right. It'll be a collaborative effort, all eyes and all all folks, kind of going forward to get us better."
We'll see if the Bears can be able to do so starting this weekend in the team's first divisional game of the season against the Green Bay Packers.
Matt Eberflus sends a firm message on what he wants to see from the offense with Thomas Brown as the new coordinator
The unit will be looking a lot different.
