Friday, November 22, 2024

We Finally Know Who Led The Decision To Retain Matt Eberflus

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Going into the 2024 off-season, the Chicago Bears had two decisions to make. One was at head coach and the other was at quarterback. Most believed the latter was an easy one. The Bears held the #1 overall pick in the draft, and it looked like a strong class. Trading Justin Fields and taking the best one on their board felt like a no-brainer. As we all know, that is precisely what happened with the selection of Caleb Williams. However, the head coach decision was tougher. Matt Eberflus had improved from 3-14 to 7-10 in 2023 but also developed a concerning reputation for choking away winnable games.

Besides that, the organization risked doing the same thing they did with John Fox and Matt Nagy. They would draft a quarterback to pair with a head coach on the hot seat, the team would struggle, and the coach would be fired. Wouldn’t it make more sense to dismiss Eberflus and start fresh with a new coach? It didn’t go down that way. Chicago opted to keep him. Now they’re 4-6, in the middle of a four-game skid, and seem more discouraged than ever. That has led many to wonder who is most responsible for keeping Eberflus.

Some think George McCaskey refused to fire a coach after just two seasons due to money considerations. Others believe it was Kevin Warren, who values stability at head coach based on his experiences in St. Louis and Minnesota. However, insider Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog put those questions to bed.

“The other fallacy about Poles is he did not hire Eberflus. Nonsense. Poles met with the three candidates and was told he could open the search broadly if he so chose. He liked Flus and was singularly responsible for keeping Flus after 2023.”

The Matt Eberflus decision always belonged to Poles.

For months, there has been a persistent belief that Eberflus was thrust upon the Bears GM from the moment he arrived. This is because McCaskey and his search committee interviewed the coach first. Clearly, Poles was pressured to make the hire, just like Ryan Pace with Fox in 2017. Except the evidence doesn’t back this up. Every indication is that the only request made of Poles was to meet with Eberflus. If he didn’t feel it was the right fit, he was free to expand the coaching search at his leisure. Poles passed. He was sold from the moment they met.

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At every opportunity, the Bears GM has made it clear that he believes in Matt Eberflus as a coach and leader. He embodied many of the same traits that made Lovie Smith so successful in the 2000s. It isn’t hard to believe that Poles, who is known for his loyalty, pushed to give the coach another year. Now, one must wonder if that decision could end up costing the GM as the Bears hurtle towards their third straight losing season. Everybody knows Eberflus is gone. The big question is whether Poles might join him.

14 COMMENTS

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Wes P
Wes P
Nov 22, 2024 12:37 pm

Coaching matters! Just look at the difference in the offense once they let Shane Waldren go and replaced him with Thomas Brown. It’s an impressive difference! George McCaskey and Bill Polian interviewed several candidates to replace Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace after the disappointing 2021 season. They started out looking at head coaches and agreed that Matt Eberflus was the most likable of those they met. Then they began their search for a general manager. Both George and Bill agreed Ryan Poles was the one they liked. George McCaskey himself went and picked him up from the airport and he… Read more »

cms659
cms659
Nov 20, 2024 8:00 pm

Is this April Fools? The ONLY fallacy here the author of this article trying to convince people that anyone other the McCaskey made the decision to hire Eberflus (he was the choice before Poles was hired) and to retain him for 2024. We’ve been down this same road before with previous regimes. The team president(s) and GM’s have been and still are nothing more than mouthpieces for McCaskey. If the decision was Poles and not McCaskey’s Eberflus would have been out the door with Waldron but Eberflus was/is McCaskey’s guy. There was ZERO upside to keeping him for another year.… Read more »

spank73
Nov 20, 2024 7:11 pm

To say any one person is responsible for anything that happens in football operations is pretty short sighted. Excuse chasing is all this article is.

Papa Bear
Papa Bear
Nov 20, 2024 3:04 pm

Hughes is full of shit! Poles NEVER had the authority to pick anybody else other than the three finalists that George and his committee chose. All this is is Hughes looking for scapegoats and throwing Poles under the bus while ignoring the fact that George HAS always undermined his GMs! The Only common denominator the last 30 years is the McCaskey’s ineptitude! NOTHING is going to change until they no longer own the team!

Skee
Skee
Nov 20, 2024 1:23 pm

There are many many many Ryan Pole Nut Sack Holders here on this site, the tribe is strong. With that said, a blind man can see that the GM has culpability in what’s has become a recurring theme in Chicago, dysfunction beyond belief. I personally see Ryan Poles for being completely responsible for this carnage, all the waisted draft picks (Ryan Bates, Chase Claypool, Dominque Robinson etc). If we could stop with all the tribal stuff, we should be objective enough look at Ryan Poles work in it’s entirety and see the bad outweigh the good, this man should be… Read more »

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