Matt Eberflus
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

First & Long: Eberflus and Waldron on Hot Seat, Bears Captains Offer Advice, Daniels Getting Mahomes Comps

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 26, 2024

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is on the hot seat after a 1-2 start thanks to an offense that is a disjointed mess. Does he and his coaches deserve the backlash?

The knock on Eberflus has remained unchanged since his rookie season with Chicago: He’s a fantastic defensive coach but he’s in way over his head as a head coach. The Bears are 11-26 (.297) in the Eberflus era and find themselves once again at the bottom of the NFC North. Offseason hype has once again given way to a mess of mediocrity and confusion. It’s four weeks into the season and Chicago’s offense is a dumpster fire of discord, poor technique, missed assignments, and a lack of fundamentals.

Still, Chicago’s defense is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s best. It’s almost like Eberflus has no desire to coach both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, it’s his job to do so. The Bears traded Justin Fields and drafted Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze after acquiring Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett, and D’Andre Swift. They hired Shane Waldron to replace Luke Getsy. Fields is 3-0 with the Steelers, and the Vikings – who were almost unanimously picked to finish last – are also 3-0 under Sam Darnold. Getsy and Waldron, meanwhile, struggled to find offensive congruency, or, in football parlance, an identity.

What in the name of Mike Glennon is going on here?

Minnesota lost Kirk Cousins to free agency and J.J. McCarthy to injury, but they’re undefeated with Darnold at the helm. The Packers have won two straight with Malik Willis under center. The Panthers and Giants are the only teams that have scored less than the Bears, but Chicago’s defense and special teams have accounted for 26% of the team’s scoring, not counting field goals and extra points.

Eberflus is 2-7 on challenges in his career, struggles with clock management, his team takes too many unnecessary penalties, and Eberflus can’t seem to corral any of his assistant coaches.

Here’s the rub, though. The Bears need continuity in their coaching staff so that they don’t burn a year of Williams’s development. That leaves team president Kevin Warren and GM Ryan Poles two options.

  1. They can hope Eberflus and Waldron turn it around; or
  2. They can fire the entire staff during Chicago’s bye week and use the rest of this season to get the team acclimated to a new staff.

The first choice isn’t going to happen and the second option is a very loud admission of complete failure. The truth of the matter is that Warren and Poles should have started over once they decided to draft Williams. New quarterback, new coaching staff, new vibe. That’s what smart organizations do. Not-so-smart organizations do that too, but the Bears are also very frugal. The McCaskeys have a long history of not paying coaches who are no longer working for them.

So, Williams finds himself in the same tortuous cycle that drove Fields and Mitchell Trubisky out of Chicago before their rookie contracts expired. It would be a shame to see the same thing happen to the No. 1 overall pick. The Bears will never develop a franchise quarterback if they don’t shift that paradigm. And in case you’re wondering, Chicago’s bye week starts October 14 after they play the Jaguars in London.

Bears News & Notes

There’s a Flag…On the Play

There is an Aaron Rodgers lookalike in every city, or at least it seems that way.

Scout Team

  1. Rams running back Kyren Williams has scored a touchdown in six straight games. Marshall Faulk was the last Los Angeles runner to accomplish that feat.
  2. The Rams upset the 49ers last week, which left Nick Bosa so unsettled he’s having trouble sleeping.
  3. Los Angeles could be a potential destination for backup quarterback and former top-five draft pick Zach Wilson.
  4. Wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp won’t play this Sunday, but the Rams expect TE Davis Allen to return to action.
  5. The Rams are off to a 1-2 start, but an easy schedule over the next five weeks will probably keep them from selling at the trade deadline.
  6. Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford needs 223 yards against the Bears on Sunday to surpass Eli Manning into 10th place for career passing yards.

Film Room

Malik Nabers is the top NFL rookie wide receiver now, but Odunze is going to be right there with him by season’s end.

I like Odunze this week, but I’m anticipating a bigger week from D.J. Moore.

Northern Exposure

Around the NFL

The NFL will hold its 2025 Draft in Green Bay, and Harley-Davidson will be a big part of the weekend event.

FEMA has picked four NFL stadiums to temporarily house residents displaced by Hurricane Helene.

The Dolphins lead the NFL in players on the PUP List.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is struggling, and though the tabloids have several juicy rumors as to why, the fact is he’s 34 years old and his best years are behind him.

Some NFL scouts believe Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will be as good as Patrick Mahomes.

Two-Minute Drill

Williams could be a good fantasy option this weekend. He’s probably not going to drop back 55-60 to pass times against Los Angeles, but the Rams’ defense is giving up a lot of passing yards, Allen is probably returning, and Cole Kmet is coming off of his best game of the season. Oh yeah, the Bears can’t run the ball right now.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

  1. Rashee Rice leads the NFL in YAC through three games with 186 yards. The Bears are led by D.J. Moore (80) and have 200 total as a team.
  2. Daniels has completed 80.3% of his passes in his first three starts. He is just slightly behind Drew Brees (80.6%).
  3. Last week’s Bengals-Commanders contest was the first game in 84 yards without a single turnover or punt.

Born to Be “Bad”

Jack Sanborn is a very good linebacker, but it’s important to remember he sits when the Bears are in nickel coverage. Sanborn was only on the field for 18% and 20% of the Bears’ defensive plays in their last two games. But, that’s an area where Eberflus excels: He gives his defensive players the best chances to succeed.

“This is my second year now doing this, so I’m kind of used to it,” Sanborn said. “I have a gauge of how the game’s going, how situation-wise what our game plan is, how we’re calling the game. It’s just when I do get out there knowing exactly what I’m supposed to do and doing it to the best of my ability and making plays when the plays are to be made.”

From the Podium

  • “I think, mainly, just continue to be vocal about the things that [Waldon] sees and don’t feel like he can’t point guys out. From the oldest guy in the room – being me – to the youngest guy: Don’t feel like you can’t coach us. I want to be coached and I want to be great. This is not, you know, this is not for play. This is our job. We understand that. It’s a high-stress, production-based business and we’ve all got to be doing the same things or everybody gets fired. Ego is supposed to be left at the door. That’s what it’s about. He’s very receptive to that. I think, obviously, coming in, we’ve got a bunch of dudes. Not just guys on the team or on this offense. We have dudes, dudes who have done it at a high level. Sometimes as the coach coming in, you might be walking on eggshells. I just kind of put that to bed. Nobody’s sensitive in here. We want to win games just as bad as you do. It’s a collaborative effort. This is not Pop Warner. We work together, side by side to get things done.” – Marcedes Lewis
Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 26, 2024
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