After the first three weeks of the NFL season, fans of the Chicago Bears feel as if they are living in a never-ending nightmare. The team has started the season winless, but even worse, seems to have regressed on both sides of the ball. This is not an easy task for a team that finished with the worst record in the NFL in 2022, was last in defensive DVOA, and a generous 25th in offensive DVOA, mostly thanks to the legs of quarterback Justin Fields. The Chicago Bears coach hasn’t put together any semblance of a competent team.
The 2023 season has so far shown the team to be mostly unwatchable on offense and even worse on defense. Injuries across the offensive line and defensive backfield have only worsened the holes in the roster. Unsurprisingly, head coach Matt Eberflus is taking his share of the blame, and fans are already calling on him to lose his job. Whether this is realistic or not depends on your view of the organization. However, if the Chicago Bears want to save any semblance of their 2023 season they need to consider replacing Eberflus with a Bear coaching legend.
The Chicago Bears Should Bring Back a Coaching Legend
It’s Time to Spread the Love Around Halas Hall
To stop the Chicago Bears from becoming the season-long laughing stock of the NFL, the team should look to its past and rehire Lovie Smith as the team’s head coach. For nine seasons, Smith was the calming influence on an organization that always seemed chaotic. Whether it was questionable ownership decisions or general managers who never seemed to fill holes on offense, Smith was the man who steered the ship to success the team hadn’t seen in decades.
As the head coach of the team, Smith compiled an 81-63 record, including three NFC North division titles, two NFC Conference Championship appearances, and one Super Bowl game, losing to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
More than the wins and playoff appearances, Smith was almost always able to make the best out of a tough situation. Whether it was injuries to starting quarterback Rex Grossman, or the lack of offensive players brought in to match the team’s outstanding defenses, Lovie Smith never made excuses.
Coach Eberflus Has Seemingly Lost the Dressing Room
Matt Eberflus is someone who loves football and when he has the talent around him, can formulate a defensive game plan that can work. However, he seems over his head as the current head coach of the team. After losing 41-10, the Bears are in the midst of a 13-game losing streak that has haunted the team as they prepare for the Denver Broncos in Week 4.
Matt Eberflus is a "man looking for answers" as the Bears struggle, @olin_kreutz says.
And when Eberflus talks to the media, Kreutz isn't sure if his message is for the fans, his players or if Eberflus is just talking to himself.
Listen on @mullyhaugh: https://t.co/SQvb52O9PI pic.twitter.com/Z6LEMdpdyc
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) September 25, 2023
The loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was not only embarrassing score-wise, but the complete lack of effort the team displayed made football fans and insiders cringe. This was especially true in the tackling department with Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco forcing 7 missed tackles himself.
Under Eberflus, a defensive-minded coach, the team’s defense looks hopeless attempting to pressure the quarterback. Moreover, offseason additions Tremaine Edmunds, DeMarcus Walker, and Yannick Ngakoue have made very little impact – something Eberflus needs to own.
Lovie Smith Can Save Justin Fields
While his last stint as an NFL coach with the Houston Texans was not a successful one, Lovie Smith has shown the ability to nurture a young quarterback. There was a time when the Texans were developing Davis Mills, and under Smith, Mills looked like belonged in the NFL (at least as a backup).
Smith was and will always be a player’s coach. He understands his players and they love him for that. Right now, with all the chaos and negativity surrounding the team, Smith is the perfect man to pair with Justin Fields. The hope that Fields will develop into the quarterback the Bears have been missing for decades is fading, and Smith can come in and mentor him, put him in more comfortable positions, and give him and the team more ways to win football games.
In the end, if the Chicago Bears do move on from Matt Eberflus this season, Lovie Smith is the perfect coach to care for the team until the season’s end. His experience and calming nature could bridge the gap to the offseason and the potential for another number-one overall pick – something Smith has experience gifting to Chicago.
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