‘Person without answers’ – Bears give fans what they want as head coach left with no excuses
The Chicago Bears have fired head coach Matt Eberflus. The decision was announced on Friday, less than 24 hours after a late-game meltdown against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. Eberflus has parted ways with the Bears, according to reports Clock management issues cost Chicago an attempt at a comeback on Thursday afternoon, running out the clock in the final 32 seconds despite having one timeout remaining while down 23-20. And it has also now cost the coach his job, with angry fans calling for his head after the horror show. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will now serve as interim head coach. The decision to part ways with Eberflus comes after Chicago’s sixth consecutive loss and a 4-8 start to the 2024 season. A bungled final Thanksgiving Day drive was the last straw. Despite trailing by 16 at the half, the Bears bounced back and moved within three points of the Lions with just over five minutes remaining. They then drove up the field and had a chance to secure an unlikely comeback victory, but threw the game away with some poor timekeeping. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked for a six-yard loss on a called run play, and the Bears did not get the ball snapped for another play until six seconds were left. Williams launched a deep ball to rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze that hit the floor as time expired. Unsurprisingly, irate Bears fans took to social media to call for Eberflus to be fired, with many stunned by what had unfolded. The Bears threw away their final drive against the Lions “FIRE EBERFLUS! FIRE HIM,” screamed one viewer on X. Another wrote: “Fire Eberflus. Wastes his second timeout, worst time management ever seen on display for another week.” “Enough is enough,” a third concluded. The Bears gave fans what they were calling for on Friday, and talkSPORT pundit Jason Bell suggested that the doomed coach was indeed at fault for their bungled final drive. “Situational football is always on the head coach, it’s his job. He has to understand the situation whatever it is. He is the head coach, he is the CEO. You are the one ultimately overseeing it all,” Bell said. “You can’t get caught up in one thing or another. In that situation, with Caleb Williams, there might have been communication issues. Eberflus becomes the first coach sacked by the Bears midseasonGetty “Whatever all that is, at that point, you have to take the timeout. You see the clock go down and at some point you go, ‘I don’t have two plays, timeout’. “That is his job. The worst thing that happened is when the camera panned to him and you see his facial expressions. He looked like a person without answers. “Regardless if he had it or not, that’s what it looked like. And at that point, you go, ‘well if you don’t know how does anybody else know?’ “And that’s the problem. The buck stops at him whenever it comes down to situational awareness and execution.” Eberflus’ firing marks the first time in Bears history that the franchise has made a midseason change at head coach. “This morning, after meeting with Chairman George H. McCaskey and President and CEO Kevin Warren, we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head-coaching position,” said Bears general manager Ryan Poles. “I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization. We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best moving forward.” Catch up on the latest from around the league on our dedicated NFL YouTube channel – and our weekly Rundown review show
The Chicago Bears have fired head coach Matt Eberflus.
The decision was announced on Friday, less than 24 hours after a late-game meltdown against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
Clock management issues cost Chicago an attempt at a comeback on Thursday afternoon, running out the clock in the final 32 seconds despite having one timeout remaining while down 23-20.
And it has also now cost the coach his job, with angry fans calling for his head after the horror show.
Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will now serve as interim head coach.
The decision to part ways with Eberflus comes after Chicago’s sixth consecutive loss and a 4-8 start to the 2024 season.
A bungled final Thanksgiving Day drive was the last straw.
Despite trailing by 16 at the half, the Bears bounced back and moved within three points of the Lions with just over five minutes remaining.
They then drove up the field and had a chance to secure an unlikely comeback victory, but threw the game away with some poor timekeeping.
Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked for a six-yard loss on a called run play, and the Bears did not get the ball snapped for another play until six seconds were left.
Williams launched a deep ball to rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze that hit the floor as time expired.
Unsurprisingly, irate Bears fans took to social media to call for Eberflus to be fired, with many stunned by what had unfolded.
“FIRE EBERFLUS! FIRE HIM,” screamed one viewer on X.
Another wrote: “Fire Eberflus. Wastes his second timeout, worst time management ever seen on display for another week.”
“Enough is enough,” a third concluded.
The Bears gave fans what they were calling for on Friday, and talkSPORT pundit Jason Bell suggested that the doomed coach was indeed at fault for their bungled final drive.
“Situational football is always on the head coach, it’s his job. He has to understand the situation whatever it is. He is the head coach, he is the CEO. You are the one ultimately overseeing it all,” Bell said.
“You can’t get caught up in one thing or another. In that situation, with Caleb Williams, there might have been communication issues.
“Whatever all that is, at that point, you have to take the timeout. You see the clock go down and at some point you go, ‘I don’t have two plays, timeout’.
“That is his job. The worst thing that happened is when the camera panned to him and you see his facial expressions. He looked like a person without answers.
“Regardless if he had it or not, that’s what it looked like. And at that point, you go, ‘well if you don’t know how does anybody else know?’
“And that’s the problem. The buck stops at him whenever it comes down to situational awareness and execution.”
Eberflus’ firing marks the first time in Bears history that the franchise has made a midseason change at head coach.
“This morning, after meeting with Chairman George H. McCaskey and President and CEO Kevin Warren, we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head-coaching position,” said Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
“I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization. We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
Catch up on the latest from around the league on our dedicated NFL YouTube channel – and our weekly Rundown review show
