If you need any indication that the Chicago Bears vetting process for a new offensive coordinator was flawed from the beginning, this story hammers it home. Everybody knows the story. Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles met with nine candidates for the job, trying to cast a wide net for who they could get to develop Caleb Williams. They eventually settled on Shane Waldron, former offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. It felt like a safe decision. He’d done some good work with Geno Smith the past two years and was an understudy of Sean McVay and Pete Carroll.
However, it is apparent the Bears didn’t do their homework. If they had spoken to more people who watched Waldron and had ties to people around him, they would’ve realized he was a walking red flag. Nobody has proven that more than Dave Mahler of 93.3 KJR, who covers the Seahawks in Seattle. According to Spiegs And Holmes of 670 The Score, he told them shortly after the Waldron hire became official that it was destined for failure. He even went so far as to say it wouldn’t last the entire season.
Safe to say he nailed it.
In hindsight, the warning signs with Shane Waldron were always there.
One of the biggest came during last season. Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has never openly criticized his coaches publicly. However, he came as close as he’d ever get after a 31-13 loss to San Francisco.
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“I’m concerned about everything we’re doing right now. That night last night will make you challenge everything. There are questions to be asked and answers to be found. That’s where we are right now…
…We have unique talents, and we gotta make sure we’re maximizing that. I feel like we’re not. We’ve got guys in different areas of our game that can do stuff better. Our tight ends can be used better than we’ve used them in the last couple of weeks. We need to get that going again.”
Sounds eerily familiar to what the Bears offense was going through, doesn’t it? Carroll recognized Shane Waldron wasn’t getting the most out of his players and seemed to have blind spots in how to deploy his personnel. It is hard to imagine how the Bears weren’t aware of any of these concerns and chose to hire him anyway. That speaks to a glaring flaw in their entire process. Then again, it shouldn’t have been surprising since the same approach landed them Luke Getsy two years prior.
Nobody will ever know for sure why Eberflus chose Waldron. Maybe he’s just that ignorant, or maybe he wanted somebody who wouldn’t be in danger of replacing him as head coach if things went wrong during the season. Whatever the case, that decision will ultimately get him fired.
How thorough was Ryan Poles with his research on: Velus Jones Jr.; Lucas Patrick; Byron Pringle; Chase Claypool; Alex Leatherwood; Zacch Pickens; Nate Davis; Dominique Robinson; Tyler Scott; Kiran Amegadjie; Bryce Young; CJ Stroud; Anthony Richardson; Jayden Daniels; Drake Maye, Bo Nix, etc.?
Poles made a prudent decision in the Jalen Carter pick/trade — and received Darnell Wright and Tory Taylor. Nice work!
However…
We don’t have the time/space here to scutinize Ryan Poles’ research on the various coaches that were available to the “perpetual rookie” GM.
Ryan Poles is usually more thorough with his research so I’m wondering how much influence was based on Matt Eberflus choosing Waldron. Mistakes like this are alarming and make it critical in replacing future talented coaches.
I’m fairly certain this is just one reason that the Bears continue to suck. Ownership cheapskate-ness is likely another.
@Tred
I’m sorry, but Waldron was my next to last choice (of nine). I only write to put down what I think so I can be laughed at when I misjudge things.
But I don’t have the ear of these people. Seattle writers, and comments by fans on their blogs, and listening to post-game pressers by Waldron against listening Darrell Bevell talking about the Miami offense with Tua Tagavialoa, was like night and day.
He wasn’t using tight ends. He was misusing running backs. His “great” receivers, weren’t coached by him, but by Bevell and his team.
Numbnuts.
Poles has to crank up the pressure on Eberflus to crank up the pressure on the position coaches and his coordinators. If he can’t handle being head coach, while calling defensive plays, he has to make a choice, rotate down to defensive coordinator-play caller and give up head coaching, or give up the defensive play calling. Eberflus may be a “nice guy,” but he can still be a nice guy and fire incompetent coaches. Let me write a script for you: “I’m sorry, but this isn’t working out. We’ll have to let you go. My dog is going to be… Read more »