The Bears ultimately fired Matt Eberflus. But he lost the locker room a long time ago
Another crushing, confusing loss for the Chicago Bears meant another postgame speech about “sticking together” from head coach Matt Eberflus to a frustrated, crowded locker room at Ford Field in Detroit.
This time, however, team captain Jaylon Johnson wasn’t having it.
Not after another winnable game disappeared: a 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving.
Not after another day of very questionable coaching decisions.
This postgame message required a different tone, a different atmosphere and likely a different voice. Like many Bears players, Johnson had had enough. They were tired of finding new ways to give away games and wanted accountability and answers.
“Jaylon went crazy,” said one Bears player. “He was very emotional and angry, but rightly so. He’s been here longer than most.’
Another player said: “He went off more with (Eberflus).”
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According to several players and staff members in the locker room, some players wondered why Eberflus had not called a timeout. Other players also got to work.
“The boys were furious,” said one employee. “It was an accumulation of this season.”
“The locker room was ugly,” said another employee. “There was a lot of yelling.”
The first player said: “We felt as players that too often we fought our way back into matches only to lose due to poor time management and poor decision making.”
Multiple sources added that emotions between the players and their head coach ran so high that Eberflus immediately left the locker room after his speech and conversation with the players. There was nothing more to say. It was a moment for this Bears team that would inevitably force chairman George McCaskey to do something the franchise had never done before.
By Friday morning, Eberflus was gone, but not before the team decided to have him speak to the media via Zoom just after 9 a.m. Two hours later he was gone. The Bears made it official by sharing statements from general manager Ryan Poles and president/CEO Kevin Warren.
A team source explained that McCaskey, Polen and Warren still met at the scheduled press conference. At that point, no decision had been made about Eberflus’ future, so there was no reason to postpone the press conference, which could have indicated that something big was happening. By the time the decision was made to fire Eberflus, the press conference was over.
With two years left on a five-year contract, Eberflus became the first head coach ever fired by the Bears during a season. While Eberflus was liked by some in the building, his records in one-score games (5-19, the NFL’s worst record during his tenure) and in NFC North matchups (2-13) were abysmal. His decision to hire Shane Waldron as quarterback Caleb Williams’ first offensive coordinator in the NFL turned into a dysfunctional debacle within weeks. And his clock management and situational football awareness were even worse.
Unfortunately for the Bears, what happened in the final 32 seconds in Detroit wasn’t the first time Eberflus’ decision-making left those in Halas Hall or watching from home wondering if he was equipped for the job.
The breakup began weeks earlier during the team’s disastrous loss to the Washington Commanders. In that game, the defense gave up a Hail Mary touchdown in the final seconds. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson completely missed his assignment and tipped the ball into Noah Brown’s hands for the winning touchdown. To make matters worse, Stevenson was caught interacting with fans just before the play. Eberflus told Stevenson days later that he would not start against the Arizona Cardinals. Angered by the news, Stevenson briefly left training to compose himself before returning.
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—NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Players accepted that, but what didn’t sit well with some team leaders was Eberflus’ avoidance of responsibility for his own coaching mistakes. Players pointed to the piece before the Hail Mary. Eberflus allowed Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to complete a 13-yard pass on the penultimate play and then didn’t call a timeout before the Hail Mary to discuss his defense and calm emotions.
When asked by reporters, Eberflus downplayed the importance of Daniels’ 13-yard completion to receiver Terry McLaurin and even doubled down on his decision, which many believe was one of the mistakes.
“That didn’t sit well in the locker room,” said one player.
“It didn’t go well,” said the second player. “That week he lost the defensive guys.”
As the Bears’ losing streak extended, there was a shift in tone and messaging from Eberflus when discussing the team’s latest issues. He seemed to go out of his way to take the blame for almost everything. His subsequent attempts to take responsibility felt disingenuous to the players.
By then it was too little too late. The damage was done in Washington and in the days that followed.
Eberflus never led his team through that loss.
“As a leader of men,” said one of the Bears players, “you are expected to take the blame for everything that happens under your watch.”
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The first sign that the Bears were operating differently this season was Waldron’s firing on Nov. 12, two days after a 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots and just nine games into his tenure as offensive coordinator.
For the Bears it was a break with the past. The team had also never fired an offensive coordinator during the season.
Players’ frustrations with Waldron had been bubbling since the summer. The new offensive coordinator changed the Bears’ run game, erasing two years of progress under offensive line coach Chris Morgan. His decision to install a pure progression progression system – a challenging plan even for experienced QBs – further complicated matters for Williams. Players expressed their concerns to their head coach at various times, but rarely felt heard.
Bears players believe offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, left, was a poor choice to develop rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Receiver Keenan Allen told reporters at Halas Hall after Waldron’s dismissal that Waldron was “too nice of a guy,” a sentiment other players shared. “He just didn’t demand the right things,” one player said. That included Waldron’s handling of coaching Williams.
After the loss to the Patriots, meetings at Halas Hall became tense. Some team leaders even floated the idea of benching Williams in favor of backup Tyson Bagent, believing Waldron’s system was hurting the rookie’s growth. Two days later, Waldron was fired. A team source said Warren wanted changes.
Eberflus considered keeping Waldron on staff, but that didn’t happen.
“The problem was they messed up with Shane and made him the coordinator in the first place,” the player said.
Thomas Brown, the team’s passing game coordinator at the time, was named offensive coordinator and immediately shocked everyone involved in the offense. Even assistant coaches hired by Waldron quickly came on board with Brown. His communication style and leadership qualities earned the respect of players and staff.
“There’s definitely been a little bit better communication from the top down about what we’re trying to accomplish,” wide receivers coach Chris Beatty said. The Athletics in an interview before Thanksgiving. “I think there are expanded roles for everyone. That allowed some of the guys to introduce new ideas and come up with different ways of doing things.”
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With Brown at the helm, the pure progression-passing scheme was retained, but several concepts and plays were added to get the ball out of Williams’ hand more quickly. The Bears turned to tighter formations and more movement.
“Instead of just making pure progression all the time and reading the whole field, we changed some of those thoughts to make it 1-on-2 (reads) to use your legs,” Beatty said. “And so those things appear.”
The biggest change discussed among the players is Brown’s presence in leadership, something the Bears had been missing. One player suggested that the way Brown conducts himself during his press conferences is just a glimpse of how he functions behind the scenes. The bears have been purchased.
“He’s in charge, and he’s done a great job of taking charge,” Beatty said. “In the beginning we were missing some of that (on offense). So I think those things have appeared. It’s a…clearer line of communication than what it was.”
In the span of 18 days, Brown was promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator and now interim head coach. The Bears now face the challenge of finding stability in a season defined by change. Early signs have been promising, but his ability to galvanize the dressing room while leading Williams’ development will be closely watched by Polen and Warren. He will also continue to call plays.
“He’s just a direct person — direct, honest,” quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph said The Athletics before the Lions game. “He knows what he wants to convey and is confident in it. And he is Thomas. That’s what you love about being around him. Caleb has been good. That relationship was good and (they) just grow into it.
“To be among the elite you have to do things a certain way and he knows that. That’s what Thomas brings. There’s a certain way to do it – and it’s the right way to do it. And that’s the way we’re going to do it. When you say ‘direct’, that’s what it is. It’s authentic. It’s fair and he understands what it takes to be elite as a player and as a team.”
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The next five weeks can be seen as a drawn-out interview for Brown. Williams could be a vital part of the future for the Bears, but now Brown must prove he can hang with anyone on the roster and not cost his team games.
For a team desperate for accountability and clear direction, Brown may be the leader they’ve been looking for.
“There’s an authenticity about him that’s infectious and everyone responds to it,” tight ends coach Jim Dray said in an interview with The Athletics before Thanksgiving. “Very clear, very concise, very measured to what is expected – and he holds everyone accountable.”
(Top photo: Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
