The Chicago Bears have named Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as the 17th head coach in team history. He’ll team with their new general manager to try and take the team in a different direction. Chicago hired former Chiefs assistant director of player personnel Ryan Poles as its seventh general manager ever in team history on Wednesday. Sharing the same first name with their predecessors aside, is the new regime the right one for the Bears and, most importantly, Justin Fields?
The Chicago Bears Tab Matt Eberflus to Be Their Next Head Coach
Give and Take
The Chicago Bears conducted their searches for their next general manager and head coach in the proper order. Even if they ultimately decided to run it back with ‘Ryan’ and ‘Matt’ running the show. Eberflus comes over after four years running a Colts defense. His groups have finished in the top-10 in scoring three times during his tenure.
The one year they didn’t, they finished 18th while they’ve gone (in reverse order) 16th, eighth, 16th, and 11th.
Indy finished 30th in both points and yards the year before his arrival.
A disciple of the Lovie Smith-Rod Marinelli school of defense, Eberflus’ career has included stops in Dallas and Cleveland as a linebackers coach and 17 seasons in the college ranks including eight as the University of Missouri’s defensive coordinator.
He was so well-regarded with the Colts higher-ups that they requested he be held over when Frank Reich took over after Josh McDaniels bailed.
Still, the fact that we knew the status of Eberflus’ candidacy has, naturally, caused some uproar amongst a rabid fanbase. One that can’t shake the feeling they are being taken down a familiar path. A path with a young executive from the Chiefs organization and a defensive-minded head coach. That’s instead of one some feel would be better suited to bring along Fields.
Here is https://t.co/5HeYWzGBCN writer @JJStankevitz on @3ZerosPod talking about new #Bears HC Matt Eberflus' impact on Indy's defense pic.twitter.com/kNSL5JTNaZ
— Josh Buckhalter (@JoshGBuck) January 27, 2022
Who’s Running the Show?
The biggest concern, and likely the one that will be hardest to convince people otherwise, is that Eberflus is not Poles’ hire. And that team chairman, George McCaskey, and the Bears selection committee once again imposed their will. Not many buy their claim that he has complete control over the football operations.
It certainly doesn’t help the perception when Eberflus was named as a finalist for the job before Poles was officially announced in his role.
But we got rumors upon Poles’ hiring that he would be running the show which continues to be the story. Later, we received word that didn’t necessarily sit well with Bill Polian. We also heard that other voices in the room preferred the other two finalists, Jim Caldwell and Dan Quinn, to Eberflus.
Regardless of whether or not those voices should have even been audible, all signs are pointing to Poles taking the reigns – something he is rumored to have in his contract. And that his choice happened to be one of the finalists shouldn’t concern folks too much either.
Poles and Eberflus share the same representation as well as ties to Ballard.
Good luck convincing anyone that a franchise that has forever gotten in its own way could have gathered their list of head coaches based on the requests of their preferred choices at general manager instead of the other way around. That takes foresight and tact that the Bears, quite frankly, have not shown in recent memory.
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The Next Dominoes
Whoever the offensive coordinator is going to be a hot topic until it’s a done deal; the general manager and head coach searches have taught us that. But the attention is warranted. The Bears have to find someone who can maximize Fields. Otherwise, they will be stuck trying to select one next season and the cycle will be well on its way to repeating.
What’s worse, if Fields and the offense are successful they run the risk of that coordinator becoming the next hot commodity.
Nevertheless, smart people hire smart people. Some of the best coaches in the game today come with a defensive mindset. That includes Sean McDermott in Buffalo and, former Bears assistant, Brandon Staley out in Los Angeles.
Both of them have found coordinators to groom their young passers.
Buffalo is on the verge of losing Brian Daboll but the point remains that those minds can be found. Leadership is what matters most in the head coach. The Bears have been light on that and Eberflus comes with a reputation of demonstrating. That’s probably what separates the new coach more from the old one. Most weren’t even sure of his playcalling credentials.
He will have to answer for Colts losses to the Las Vegas Raiders (who started in plus-territory far too often) and Jacksonville Jaguars (in Jacksonville where they’ve traditionally struggled). But Daboll has abandoned a traditional running game at times, Brian Flores hasn’t worked well with others, etc. No coach comes without warts or question marks in their first gig. The most one can hope for is a solid track record in a person people want to work with and for. Eberflus, by all accounts, checks those boxes.
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