Matt Eberflus being on the hot seat would cause the Bears to repeat mistakes that doomed previous QBs and HCs
Every year in the NFL multiple head coaches get removed from their positions whether it's warranted or not. During the frenzy, some coaches survive the potential chopping block and keep their jobs, which is what happened with Chicago Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus this offseason.Despite amassing a subpar 10-24 record as the team's head coach […]
Every year in the NFL multiple head coaches get removed from their positions whether it's warranted or not. During the frenzy, some coaches survive the potential chopping block and keep their jobs, which is what happened with Chicago Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus this offseason.
Despite amassing a subpar 10-24 record as the team's head coach over the last two seasons, the organization committed to Eberflus as the head coach of the future.
How long that continues is anyone's guess, but soon people might be calling for his head once again.
The process has already started up again with Eberflus being listed as one of the nine head coaches listed in the recent A to Z Sports Hot Seat rankings. Eberflus was the third coach mentioned following New York Jets HC Robert Saleh and New Orleans Saints HC Dennis Allen.
For those on the outside looking in, it's a fair consideration. However, based on how those inside the building view Eberflus, it couldn't be further from the truth. Just look at how general manager Ryan Poles addressed Eberflus after making the decision to retain him following the 2023 season.
“I really think that the head coach needs to guide the ship when he sees storms and really keep everything settled,” Poles said back in January. “When you go through hard times, you need to keep everyone together. I think that’s like a critical piece in a big market like this. You have to be strong. If he’s jumping off a boat and everyone else starts jumping off the boat, it’s a hot mess. So, the stability is a big piece of it.”
Eberflus' future in Chicago could have looked a lot different this offseason if not for a second-half turnaround during the 2023 season. After starting the season 1-5, the Bears won six of their final 11 games and looked like a much improved squad under his leadership when many teams might have given up on the season.
“I saw a lot of progress,” Poles added. “There’s a reason why we went from three to seven wins. The player aspect of it is important but also the detail and bringing the team together through those hard times, allowing us to push through. You saw a lot of those wins happen at the back of the season. If it’s not for him, I don’t think that’s the case. I think it starts to crumble, everyone starts to do their own thing. To me, that was a critical piece of that."
Now, the critical piece to keeping Eberflus in his position comes from keeping the stability within the organization surrounding the team's new franchise player in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. With Williams under center, Eberflus tenure as the team's head coach received somewhat of a grace period, unless things drastically change for the organization. But, it's happened before with the Bears.
If the Bears were to dismiss Eberflus, for whatever reason, following the 2024 season, Williams would become the third straight Bears quarterback to have his head coach get fired following his rookie campaign. That outcome clearly didn't work out for Mitchell Trubisky nor Justin Fields in Chicago.
To add even more to it, if the Bears were to fire Eberflus and then also not retain offensive coordinator Shane Waldron (or promote him to head coach), that would mean that Williams would follow in Trubisky and Fields' steps by having to learn an entirely new scheme going into Year 2 with the Bears.
No matter how you look at it, sticking with Eberflus is the best possible path for the Bears to find future success, barring any kind of disastrous meltdown within the organization. Based on Eberflus' current standing with the front office and with his players, that's unlikely to happen any time soon. In fact, an extension might be more likely once the 2024 season comes to a close depending on the season's outcome.
Bears allow newest member of the secondary to take time off from training camp for the best reason possible
It’s a great gesture by the team.
