The Chicago Bears found a way to reach 4-8 on Monday night despite some ugly football on the field. It’s never a great sign when your defense forces four turnovers and your offense only musters 12 points. Nothing about that game shifted the conversation on either quarterback Justin Fields or head coach Matt Eberflus. Fields committed two brutal 4th quarter turnovers that would’ve cost them the game if not for Minnesota having their backup quarterback on the field. Eberflus didn’t look much better.
His defense played really well, but it again failed to hold a lead in the 4th quarter. In-game decision-making still seemed too conservative. It felt like he’d learned nothing from the disaster in Detroit the week before. So, while the team celebrated a victory, there is no sense that it was a turning point for Eberflus. His job still appears to be in jeopardy. NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic hammered that home to Colin Cowherd when she revealed she’s been hearing the Bears are having conversations about Jim Harbaugh.
This is the first legitimate rumor connecting Harbaugh and the Chicago Bears.
Before now, there has always been smoke, but most of it came from speculation. Harbaugh covets the Bears job because Mike Ditka was a mentor. He played quarterback in Chicago. It’s a dream position for him. However, since 2015, the Bears have had three opportunities to interview Harbaugh when their head coaching job became available. They passed every time. Why is this time different? Two words.
Kevin Warren.
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The new Chicago Bears team president left the job of Big Ten commissioner to take over the franchise. He spent three years running the conference that Harbaugh’s Michigan team calls home. The two were in constant contact over that period and likely have a relationship of some degree. Warren knows the type of person and coach he is. If the Bears are having conversations about Harbaugh, it is likely being broached by the president himself. Whether it leads to anything is uncertain.
Harbaugh is focused on trying to win a national championship. Most believe he’ll leave the program after this season and return to the NFL. Chicago feels like a team that might be a head coach away from playoff contention.
Losses are morally deflating to the locker room. Then people yell for heads to roll. Injuries haven’t given us a chance to assess what we have, especially the cohesion along the OL. They need to learn how to win, and do so without committing a bunch of penalties. That’s one thing I am judging Eberflus on the remainder of the season. That and how much he rotates our 2 rookie DTs in together for a few series.
The game was the worst possible outcome. A victory by the slimmest of margins rather than either a big margin win or a Vikings blowout. Did not help either Fields or Flus and did not make the future one bit clearer for Poles and Warren.
Trust the process.
-Frank Reich
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