Everybody knows the juicy details come out eventually when things go wrong. That has been true with the Chicago Bears for over a decade now. Nine games. That is how long Shane Waldron lasted as offensive coordinator before Matt Eberflus was forced to fire him. The offense scored 27 points in three games coming out of the bye week. Caleb Williams has regressed into a shell of what he was in early October. Something had to change. Eberflus wasn’t going to fire himself, so he did the only thing he could. That begs the obvious question.
How the hell did the Bears get here?
They championed their search process earlier this year, interviewing several candidates for the position. Waldron ended up getting the job. Eberflus said it was because they felt he was the best communicator and teacher. A rumor just popped up that this wasn’t the case at all. It appears the original plan was to hire Kliff Kingsbury for the position, but after meeting the former Arizona Cardinals head coach, Eberflus backed off. Why? You’ll never guess.
There is no way Matt Eberflus did that. Right?
Like many, I initially balked at the idea that this was true. Rumors pop up all the time, so I reached out to a source to see if there was any validity to it. I expected a firm decline. Instead, a one-word reply came back.
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“Yep.”
So, let’s get this straight. The Bears had plans to hire Kingsbury, who already had an established relationship with the quarterback they wanted to draft and a great reputation as an offensive mind. However, the head coach was so intimidated by his personality that he chose to pivot elsewhere, opting for the much more passive Waldron instead. Is the ego of Matt Eberflus really that fragile? Perhaps he sensed Kingsbury would be a threat to his job if the season didn’t go well, ironically setting himself up for failure in the process.
While Waldron bombed spectacularly, Kingsbury has Jayden Daniels on the fast track to Rookie of the Year in Washington. Say what you want about Mike Ditka. It wasn’t a secret Buddy Ryan was a loud personality with his own idea of how to run the team. Yet the two still managed to work together for four seasons, winning a championship in the process. Eberflus apparently didn’t have the mental fortitude to handle such a challenge, which, in hindsight, isn’t all that surprising.
@ Wes- I’m not so sure personality is what we gotta have though it would be entertaining. For winning I’ll take smarts every time. Now you must be able to lead the team true but have a direction, know what you are doing. Lovie was milk toasty but did a good job and had player’s respect.
This article supports what I’ve expected was the problem. If indeed Eberflus was intimidated by Kliff Kingsbury big personality so he chose Waldron then Eberflus definitely needs to go. The sooner the better!
The McCaskey’s are known for avoiding big personalities that are controversial. They didn’t like people like Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan who coached the best Bears team ever were, and they preferred coaches who were less charismatic.
Now is the time like never before that they get the right coach to lead them and don’t be intimidated by a big personality. This team needs personality!
Funny how this morphed into Ditka vs Ryan etc. Mike was the perfect guy at the perfect time. Talk about setting a tone, remember him tossing RIcky Watts stuff out side? Shoulda won more SB’s, agreed. Strike year- a mistake on his part, losing talent, but no QB is what did us in. Buddy Ryan deserves credit for his role but take a good look. A shameless self promotor (ok fine) who had how many Hall of Famers on his D? The D that really took off after getting shamed into playing Fridge more. The same D that allowed fewer… Read more »
How did Mike McCaskey tear that team apart? He didn’t ship a bunch of talented players out of town. Wilber Marshall chose to leave as a free agent, but they received two 1st round picks as a result. He didn’t fire Buddy Ryan or any other coaches. And he wasn’t the guy drafting players in subsequent years. The team remained just as talented as ’85 for pretty much the rest of the decade, and they underperformed on the field, particularly in the playoffs. How is that anything but coaching?
What many leaders fear, and maybe shouldn’t (at least not to the extent that they do), is strong personalities below them.
There are times that a non-charismatic leader is better for a job because he is more diplomatic, and someone under him is good BECAUSE they are dynamic, blunt and charismatic. (Ray Lewis on a John Harbaugh team).