Well before the end of the Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving, many Chicago Bears fans and those covering the team in the media had given up on Matt Eberflus. Following two offseasons of being preseason champs, the Bears went 7-10 in 2023 and 4-8 to start 2024 before Chicago fired Eberflus.
Eberflus ended his time in Chicago with a 14-32 record, though his 3-13 record in 2022 had more to do with a poorly constructed rebuild roster than any faults with a first-year head coach.
But after what was seen in 2023 and 2024, there was enough evidence of poor in-game decision-making and dysfunction inside Hallas Hall for the Bears to decide that Eberflus was a bad head coach.
Tyson Bagent: Matt Eberflus wasn’t a bad coach
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent wasn’t willing to go that far during an interview with Mark Carman of CHGO Bears. When Carmen brought up reports of players saying there wasn’t enough leadership in the locker room last year, Bagent claimed players were more responsible for the woes than anyone on the coaching staff.
“I would argue to say it’s, most of the time it’s always on us,” Bagent said. You know, most, that’s what I would say. I would say it’s up to the individual to be on top of their stuff. Yes, I’ve had coaches that are better than others, but I’ve never had a bad coach. You know, I’ve just had some that are better than others.”
Bagent had a unique take on the situation that occurred following the Bears’ 23-20 loss to Detroit on Thanksgiving, where there was a lot of screaming coming from the locker room. One of the screamers was cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
The Chicago Bears needed to fix a losing culture
Per Bagent, Johnson didn’t express his ire toward Eberflus specifically, but players had a hunch that the brutal locker room scene would usher in the end of the Eberflus era.
“I wouldn’t say that Jaylen was yelling at anybody specifically,” Bagent said. “I think he was kind of just upset. But kind of, I think everybody had a hand involved in kind of like losing those games and losing in the ways we did. But it was a kind of a kind of like a cherry on the top feeling of like, ‘Oh man, that might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back there.’
“You know, that might have been it. So that was definitely a thought in people’s minds.”
Following the game, Johnson said “part” of what he said was that he was frustrated at losing the way the team had for multiple seasons.
Bagent’s take that it wasn’t directed entirely at Eberflus is interesting, given the way the Bears lost to the Lions. Eberflus made a questionable decision with clock management. His rookie quarterback chose not to take a timeout and made an adjustment during the pre-snap, believing he’d have one chance to make a throw to win the game.
If Johnson directed agitation toward Williams specifically, Bagent didn’t tell, but the quarterback had a hand in that loss.
The Bears have removed the Eberflus part of the equation from Johnson and the rest of the team. But like Bagent suggested, the roster is going to have to do the work for new head coach Ben Johnson to fix a losing culture.
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