Matt Eberflus tried to downplay how bad last week’s loss to Washington was. A mix of bad luck and bad execution led to the collapse in the final seconds. However, players have spoken out publicly about that. Both Jaylon Johnson and Kevin Byard questioned the defensive calls in the final sequence. D.J. Moore didn’t understand the logic of the hand-off to Doug Kramer at the goal line. While they didn’t outright say it, their feelings were clear. Coaching went a long way towards that loss.
According to a source, the feelings inside the Chicago Bears locker room haven’t dissipated. Several people, including some members of Eberflus’ own staff, were reportedly “flabbergasted” by the decision to give Washington a free 13 yards on the second-to-last play of the game, putting them in position to throw the Hail Mary. Another said they’ve “never seen a head coach crumble like that.” It was pre-school-level stuff, and Eberflus still failed. Moments like that don’t help his case for showing people he can lead this team to a championship.
This is part of a larger pattern with Matt Eberflus.
I decided to dig into his history as a defensive play caller, which dates back to 2018 with the Indianapolis Colts. In that time, Eberflus has given up a go-ahead score to lose a game no fewer than 24 times. That is not a misprint. There were 24 instances where his team had a chance to close out a game, and his defense gave up the lead. It has happened nine times with the Bears. You never like to label somebody a choke artist, but the evidence continues to pile up against the head coach. Last Sunday may have been his magnum opus.
Most of the players in that locker room have experienced this for two and a half years. They have tried to give Matt Eberflus the benefit of the doubt, knowing he was working to grow as a coach. Yet the patterns remain. When the game gets tight, so does he. The Bears won’t fire him midseason. That is not how the organization has ever operated. However, the current rumblings suggest he is on shaky ground. Failure to capitalize on such a strong start to the season will amplify what happened in Washington ten-fold.
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No coach survives that.
It is the coaching.
@BearDownTX — We started all this (the Payton Wilson vs. Tremaine Edmunds “contest”) as a result of my criticism of GM Ryan Poles drafting the “incapacitated” Yale OT, Kiran Amegadjie at #75 in the 2024 NFL draft. I mentioned back then (2/26/24) that if the Bears were committed to drafting a previously highly rated college player that “fell in the draft” due to injury — NC State LB, Payton Wilson would have been my choice. IMO Payton Wilson was the BPA at #75 — although @Tred came up with the name Dominick Puni — the guard that is rocking it… Read more »
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@TGena – You are forgetting the main point. You don’t cut an $18m salary to draft a rookie in the 3rd round. I even admitted Payton Wilson was a stud coming out of college, but you can’t cut an 18m salary and take that cap hit, especially when there were so many other needs on both lines. I wish the Bears were in a position just to take luxury draft picks all over the field, but they aren’t, and no teams are. Steelers needed a linebacker, we needed o-line and d-line. Your arguments are so slanted it’s crazy because they… Read more »
@Southside Mike —
Actually, the “wrong guy” drafted a QB for the Bears team.
“Due diligence” was comprised of a game of “darts and putt-putt.”
These are all indicia of a “perpetual rookie” NFL GM — namely, Ryan Poles.
And that’s a pain that lasts.
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Was that too harsh?