Few guys try to stay positive on the Chicago Bears more than Kyle Long. The former three-time Pro Bowl guard gave his body to the organization for seven seasons before injuries took the best from him. Since then, he has watched the team stumble back into obscurity, trying to regain a winning edge that has eluded them for over a decade. It was hoped that head coach Matt Eberflus would bring back a lot of the same qualities that the franchise had with Lovie Smith. However, it has become apparent to Long that similar styles don’t always mean similar leaders.
There have been plenty of instances where it seemed like Eberflus was out of his depth before last Sunday in Arizona. The multiple late-game collapses in 2023 are one example. There was the mishandling of the final two plays in the Hail Mary loss to Washington. However, what sealed it for Long was the comments Eberflus made at the end of the first half against the Cardinals. That was when he knew the Bears were cooked.
Kyle Long understands the player’s perspective.
He’s played with several different head coaches in his career, from Marc Trestman to Andy Reid. He knows what it looks like when a guy loses the locker room. Trestman certainly did. Matt Nagy did. It appears Eberflus is falling into the same trap. He doesn’t have answers or solutions to what the Bears are trying to do. Players don’t need long to realize that. It is easy to become deflated when it becomes clear the head coach can’t help them. Guys lose focus and stop going 100%. They go through the motions. Kyle Long sees that happening now. The amount of pressure on Eberflus must be immense. If he can’t pull out a win against the Patriots on Sunday? His fate will be sealed with the season barely half over.
Flus really said “it’s your team, your locker room”? I just can not imagine any halfway decent coach in any sport taking that attitude. Maybe, Maybe “Our team & lr” but to cede that to players totally shows just how weak he is. Players, students, employees need direction, Leaders to follow. This comes after players went to Waldron begging to be coached. No wonder the ship is sinking.
The players are always the first to know — and now HC, Matt Eberflus has broadcast his ineptitude just as universally as his “collaborator” — the “perpetual rookie” NFL GM, Ryan Poles.
This team, this roster, this iteration of the “Ryan and Matt show” — are all cooked to perfection.
Fork them, now!
Howie: “I swear I totally heard your mom calling you. She said, Chris and Kyle, come here. I want to talk to you about something really, really important. Heck, I bet she prolly has candy, too. Whut!?! You guys didn’t hear her? Boy, I did. It was crystal clear. Chris and Kyle! Yep, she totally called for you. You two should go see what she wants. Run along. She prolly has candy. Go check!”
Caleb, Marcedes, Kmet, and DJ are our offensive team captains, while Edmunds, Edwards, Byard, and JJ are our defensive team captains. “It’s their locker room.” Eberflus said. “I told them it’s their team. We’re gonna give you the keys. We’re gonna prepare you how to drive and all those things, and we’re gonna be there to help you. But it’s their team. They gotta drive it.” A wingnut CB celebrating when we have done nothing for 2+ decades is easy to isolate. Arizona is a solid team. They do have some talent, and they also have a 1.01 that has… Read more »
There was nothing wrong with what Eberflus said coming out of the tunnel. Kyle Long is a Trump-deranged virtue signaling libtard, like his brother Chris. This is just yet another bad take from him.