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The Chicago Bears season has unraveled in a hurry. They’ve now lost three straight games and feel completely lost. It looks like head coach Matt Eberflus has lost the locker room and players aren’t giving 100%. Something has to change. The Bears now face a final stretch that includes all six NFC North division games remaining. The two non-division games are San Francisco and Seattle. They may not win another game, and they certainly won’t be favored once the rest of the way. Caleb Williams has taken a beating and isn’t progressing the way Bears fans would like. This alone might make the Bears do something they’ve never done in their 105 seasons of existence. They might fire a head coach. It’s well overdue for the Bears to fire Matt Eberflus.
It’s obvious the players aren’t playing for Eberflus. DJ Moore walked off the field mid-play a couple of weeks ago against Arizona. It was clear again on Sunday he wasn’t running hard, and his body language was poor. The Bears clearly lack discipline and structure. Look no further than the Tyrique Stevenson incident against Washington. He’s interacting with the crowd during the final play that results in his guy catching the game-winning touchdown that he tipped backward. Teams that are well-coached and disciplined don’t have these issues. Then it took Eberflus days to come out and even accept some responsibility for that brutal loss. There are reports saying he didn’t want to bench Stevenson but felt pressure to do so. This isn’t real leadership. True leaders wouldn’t be influenced in this manner. The maturation of Caleb Williams also falls on Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. If you look from a holistic perspective, Williams’ only good games came against the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
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These are the only teams the Bears have faced that are maybe worse than they are. Williams has only thrown for nine touchdowns and has five interceptions, he also ranks 23rd in yards this year. I wrote an article after week 1 discussing how Williams could be a bust and that might be true. Shane Waldron certainly hasn’t been advantageous. The Bears play calling and scheme look completely lost. Waldron and in turn, Eberflus have not helped Caleb Williams whatsoever. This is now the third time in a row the Bears have allowed a new head coach to inherit a previous regime’s quarterback. John Fox inherited Jay Cutler, Matt Nagy inherited Mitchell Trubisky, and Matt Eberflus inherited Justin Fields. All quarterbacks drafted or brought in by the previous coach that the new coach had to work with. Now if the Bears move on from Eberflus, it will be another.
Matt Eberflus will make his own bed over these final eight games. If the Bears perform how I expect, then he will be gone at the end of the year, certainly. But why not try to fix this problem now? It’s so clear he’s not the guy. The defense has given up, and he’s not making the offense or Caleb Williams any better. Start the process over now and see what you have over these final eight games. There are a few big names that the Bears could attract this offseason, let’s take a look at them.
Ben Johnson
Any team with an opening will be calling Ben Johnson this offseason. He’s been an integral part in the Detroit Lions success. Johnson has made their offense one of the very best in the league over the past few seasons as offensive coordinator. Many see him as the next young offensive guru like Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan. He’s so highly sought after that many think he will be able to pick from multiple options if he wants to become a head coach. Johnson could stay in Detroit and continue his dominance as he’s in a great situation. If he chooses to move on, the Bears will certainly be a suiter. Even last offseason there was talk of Johnson coming to Chicago and that he may be interested. The Bears ultimately kept Eberflus but let’s not forget about the potential link last offseason. Johnson could also see Caleb Williams as an enticing project.
Mike Vrabel
How Mike Vrabel isn’t a coach in the NFL right now I don’t understand. Vrabel compiled a 54-45 record as a head coach with largely Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill as his starting quarterbacks. Vrabel will turn a team that’s been soft and undisciplined in the Matt Eberflus era, into a team that is organized, tough, and well-prepared. Mike Vrabel led teams win at the line of scrimmage and can run the football. These are things that for years the Chicago Bears haven’t been able to do. Caleb Williams was sacked nine times by New England on Sunday. I guarantee that doesn’t happen if Vrabel is leading this team. The culture in Chicago would be flipped on its head if Mike Vrabel was the head coach. All of these things will need to be considered, as in all likelihood the Bears will move on from Matt Eberflus. Even though it should be right now, it might be at the end of the season. Regardless, Mike Vrabel would be a fantastic hire and get the Bears moving in the right direction.
