Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was fortunate to survive the coaching firings this offseason. However, his tone-deaf approach to the team could cost him his job.
Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles was on a mission this past offseason to overhaul the team, specifically the offense. Many people, not just the players, lost their jobs. He set a torch to the offensive coaching staff and fired nearly everyone.
While there is a slew of new talent on the offensive side of the ball, there is also a new offensive coordinator. Just days after the 2023 season ended, Poles made changes to the Chicago Bears coaching staff. Shane Waldron is now leading the offense and he brought his own people to help.
So far the results have not been pretty, however. The Chicago Bears are once again at or near the bottom of many offensive categories. They have not been able to move the ball and get into the end zone. After two games, they have only one touchdown, a rushing one.
Rookie sensation Caleb Williams has not come out of the gate firing. He has struggled to find receivers. Additionally, with all the pressure on him (both figuratively and literally), he has found himself pressing and trying too much. He did not commit any turnovers in his first game, but did get caught holding onto the ball too long and taking sacks for big losses.
© Denny Medley-Imagn Images
In Week 2 against the Houston Texans, Williams forced two consecutive passes while under pressure. As a result, he threw interceptions on both plays. That was one of the concerns about him coming out of USC — at times he tries to play hero ball and it costs him.
Eberflus was saved
One person who did not face the firing squad was head coach Matt Eberflus. Despite a 10-24 record in two seasons, Poles decided to allow Eberflus to try to work things out. In comparison, Marc Trestman went 13-19 in two seasons and got canned.
Poles felt that having consistency in the head coaching spot would help the team. However, if that consistency is bad work, will that help the team? Eberflus has shown time and again that he is in over his head.
Let’s take a look at Justin Fields and Luke Getsy. It was clear that the pair were not on the same page. Getsy wanted to turn Fields into a pure pocket passer and stop him from being the dual-threat player he is. He turned Fields into a robot, overthinking everything.
© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Not using the players to their full potential was one of the reasons Poles gave for the firing of Getsy and his staff. He tapped Waldron to tailor the Chicago Bears offense to the skills of the players.
While the relationship between Fields and Getsy soured, Eberflus acted as if nothing was wrong. He decided not to get involved and do something, anything. He just went along cluelessly with whatever Getsy was doing. He solely concentrated on the defense.
One would think after getting a reprieve that Eberflus would change his ways. That is not the case. He continues to be tone-deaf to what is happening around him. Also, he keeps making excuses for what is going on with the team.
Why was Kmet not more involved in the Chicago Bears offense?
Let’s take a look at what has happened after just two weeks into the 2024 season. In Week 1, there was heavy criticism over the use of tight end Cole Kmet. Kmet has been consistently good for the Chicago Bears. He is a dependable pass catcher, runs good routes, and even improved his blocking.
While Kmet had a good season in 2023, there were times in which he was not seen in the offense. There were five games in which he had four or fewer targets. In one of them, he had zero targets. The Chicago Bears lost four of those games.
In Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans, Kmet had one target for four yards. That target came in late in the first half.
Waldron’s offensive system is predicated on using his tight ends. He enjoys using two tight-end sets. With the Chicago Bears, he has two good tight ends to work with. In addition to Kmet, the Bears have Gerald Everett, another good route-runner with great hands. Everett also had just one target in Week 1. He made the catch but lost a yard on the play.
In explaining the situation with the tight ends, Waldron took responsibility.
We know Cole is one of the top tight ends in the league. He does a great job for us. He has done nothing but the right thing ever since I’ve been around him. So, that’s more on us, starting with me, getting the reps a little bit more balance.
Eberflus, on the other hand, blamed the poor Kmet usage (he played just 48 percent of the offensive snaps) on the rotation. You know, stuff happens. It was the same excuse he brought up when the Chicago Bears blew a big lead against the Detroit Lions last season.
© Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
While the Lions were moving on a game-winning drive, the Chicago Bears’ best defensive players were on the sideline watching it instead of trying to stop it. He said that the Lions caught the Bears when the top players were on the sideline.
Things like that should not happen. You find ways to keep your best players, offensively and defensively, on the field in key moments. If it does not happen, then you as the leader should take responsibility for it. You cannot leave it at that, as if there is nothing that he could do about it.
The Chicago Bears offensive line struggles
If that is not bad enough, there is also the situation with the offensive line. The unit has struggled through both games. Its Week 2 performance was just atrocious. They gave up seven sacks on Williams. Additionally, they allowed the Texans to pressure Williams continually. The rookie had to run for his life as the Texans pressured him 36 times.
In addition to having Williams get pounded, the Chicago Bears offensive line has struggled to open holes for the running game. The Bears rank 24th in rushing attempts, 28th in rushing yards, and 29th in yards per carry. D’Andre Swift and company have had trouble getting back to the line of scrimmage.
Something has to be done. Right guard Nate Davis has been horrible so far. He has been so bad that at times he was found trying to find someone to block while the Texans were burying Williams. He skipped OTA and veteran camp practices and missed many training camp practices.
Eberflus tried to look like he was tough. He made an empty threat to Davis He said if players cannot practice then they could lose their jobs. Well, Davis missed many practices and it shows. What is the result? Eberflus said there would be no changes in the offensive line. He said he was looking for continuity.
If he was serious about Davis, then Eberflus should bench him. Matt Pryor and Kiran Amegadjie are two options who can step in. Yes, Amegadjie is a tackle. However, Braxton Jones does not look like he will go anywhere soon. In the meantime, Amegadjie could spend time at guard. Remember, Teven Jenkins was also a tackle who transitioned to guard just fine.
Matt Eberflus has been a disaster for the Chicago Bears. While the players are different, his actions are the same. He walks around and acts clueless and seems to stick his head in the sand while Halas Hall burns. He has to take control and actually do something and not just act as if things are fine.
Things are not fine. This season is much too important for Eberflus to ruin it. If the struggles continue, Poles might be forced to do something the McCaskeys have never done — fire a head coach in the middle of a season. If not, this season and the fans’ hope can go down the drain.
For More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
