Aug 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus looks on before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears have corrected their mistake after letting Matt Eberflus return to Halas Hall on Friday following a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. On Friday morning, Chicago allowed Eberflus to blame rookie quarterback Caleb Williams for the botched final drive against the Lions.
National media had blamed Eberflus for not calling a timeout at the end of the game to give the Bears a chance to get into field goal range before Williams had to throw a prayer on the final play of the game. Eberflus made several questionable coaching decisions in the Bears’ current six-game losing streak.
Chicago Bears fired their head coach
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus on the sidelines during the second half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images
Per Ian Rapoport with the NFL Network, the Bears fired Eberflus Friday.
“Sources: Bears coach Matt Eberflus has been fired after an ugly loss to the Lions, the team’s six in a row. Chicago now has the NFL’s third head coach opening,” Rapoport posted on X.
Sources: #Bears coach Matt Eberflus has been fired after an ugly loss to #Lions, the team’s six in a row.
Eberflus finished his tenure with a 14-32 record with the Bears. Players had voiced frustrations with Eberflus and the coaching staff several times during the season.
The Bears named Thomas Brown as the interim head coach for the final five games of the season. Brown served as the Bears passing game coordinator before being promoted to offensive coordinator before Week 11. Chicago has scored 66 points in the three games Brown has called plays.
The Bears are taking a curious chance with Brown as their interim head coach. Brown’s tasks will now be divided between the whole team instead of focusing just on the offense, and more importantly, on Williams’ development as a quarterback in the league.
The New York Jets defense quickly tanked when Jeff Ulbrich was promoted form defensive coordinator to interim head coach after Robert Saleh was fired before Week 6.
The front office is gambling on Brown, hoping to find a diamond in the rough to save their butts over worrying about stability for a player they took No. 1 in April.
Chicago’s defensive coordinator, Eric Washington, has more coaching experience than Brown.
Brown has become a darling on Bears’ social media in recent weeks, with many hoping he could become Eberflus’ permanent replacement. Some apparently would like to compare Brown to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. (Why, exactly?) It appears as though the front office is giving Brown a trial run of sorts in the final five games of the season.
The wish for Brown’s promotion seems shortsighted, especially after Brown’s terrible play-calling put the Bears behind 16-0 at halftime of Thursday’s game. Chicago needs a clean break from the Eberflus regime.
Frankly, Brown’s offense, while impressive by Chicago’s standards, hasn’t been overly impressive in the team’s three losses.
Brown first job in coaching came with Georgia in 2011 as a strength and conditioning coach. His first NFL coaching job came with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 as a running backs coach. He worked his way up to assistant head coach and tight ends coach with the Rams.
The Carolina Panthers hired Brown as their offensive coordinator in 2023.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles plays catch on the sideline before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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