{"id":19858,"date":"2024-11-30T16:04:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T16:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=19858"},"modified":"2024-11-30T16:04:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T16:04:01","slug":"more-on-bears-decision-to-fire-matt-eberflus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=19858","title":{"rendered":"More On Bears\u2019 Decision To Fire Matt Eberflus"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Matt Eberflus<\/strong> became the first Bears head coach in franchise history to get canned in-season. Considering the long list of questionable calls and demoralizing losses, the move didn\u2019t come as a complete surprise\u2026especially to those in the building.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>[RELATED: Bears Fire Matt Eberflus<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p>\n

According to Adam Jahns and Dianna Russini of The Athletic<\/a>, players were especially \u201cfurious\u201d following Chicago\u2019s loss on Thursday. Many players questioned Eberflus\u2019s decision to not call a timeout before the last play, with team captain Jaylon Johnson<\/a><\/strong> described as especially \u201cemotional.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt as players it\u2019s been too many instances where we fought our way back into games to lose because of bad time management and decision-making,\u201d<\/em> one player told The Athletic.<\/p>\n

One staffer noted that the post-game locker room \u201cwas ugly\u201d and featured \u201ca lot of yelling.\u201d While Eberflus tried calming down his squad with a speech, he didn\u2019t hang around while his players continued to fume. Eberflus\u2019s uncharacteristic exit from the locker room could have also been due to the presence of team president Kevin<\/strong> Warren<\/strong>, who notably hung around the team much longer than usual following the Thanksgiving debacle.<\/p>\n

The locker room outburst appeared to be a long time coming. As The Athletic notes, Ebereflus\u2019s recent attempts to take accountability for the team\u2019s mounting losses appeared to be \u201cinsincere\u201d and countered his differing tone from earlier in the season. While the now-former HC also tried saving face by firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron<\/strong>, there were many in the locker room who believed Waldron wasn\u2019t the right choice from the get-go.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the offensive coordinator came in and installed a \u201cpure progression passing system,\u201d a concept that\u2019s difficult for any QB. With Caleb Williams<\/a><\/strong> leading the way under center, some players voiced concerns that the staff wasn\u2019t putting the rookie in a position to succeed. It went beyond the passing offense, as well; Waldron scrapped \u201ctwo years of progress under offensive line coach Chris<\/strong> Morgan<\/strong>\u201d by completely revamping the team\u2019s running attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere they messed up was with Shane and making him the coordinator to begin with,\u201d<\/em> one player told The Athletic.<\/p>\n

Chicago had a 4-2 record heading into the bye week, and the team\u2019s demise was surely a collective effort. Still, Eberflus was going to be the clear scapegoat. Curiously, Eberflus met with the media hours before his firing. The Athletic notes that Morgan, chairman George<\/strong> McCaskey<\/strong>, and GM Ryan<\/strong> Poles<\/strong> were still meeting during that scheduled press conference, and the trio didn\u2019t want to signal that \u201csomething big was happening\u201d by cancelling Eberflus\u2019s presser.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s any silver lining, there seems to be growing optimism surrounding interim head coach Thomas<\/strong> Brown<\/strong>. The team\u2019s former passing game coordinator was promoted to OC following Waldron\u2019s firing, and The Athletic notes that the coach\u2019s \u201ccommunication style and leadership skills earned the respect of players and staff.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n