Albert Breer Reveals How Hot Matt Eberflus’ Seat Is Getting
Few insiders have shown stronger connections to Halas Hall over the past couple of years than Albert Breer of the MMQB. He’s interviewed multiple members of the team brass and generally has a finger on the pulse of this organization. That is why it was a slight bombshell earlier this week when Breer mentioned that Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was eyeing the Bears head coaching job had Eberflus been fired. It was said to be the one he wanted. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
Chicago chose to keep Eberflus, believing he’d done a good job helping the team improve from 3-14 to 7-10 last season. GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren both felt continuity was important for team success, so firing the head coach after just two years didn’t make sense. Has anything changed, especially after that crushing loss to Washington last Sunday? Breer indicated on The Dan Patrick Show that while Eberflus is far from safe, don’t expect any decision to remove him this season.
Matt Eberflus is on unsteady ground.
The head coach can’t escape certain facts about his tenure. He’s 14-27 overall, good for the third-worst winning percentage in the Super Bowl era for a Bears head coach. He is 3-17 on the road and 1-13 against winning teams. Lastly, he still hasn’t found the right formula to make the Bears offense a respectable unit despite overhauling the staff and infusing the unit with tons of talent. At some point, the organization has to sit back and ask difficult questions. Can they really win a championship with him in charge?
Most organizations know the answer to that question by Year 3. Matt Eberflus has reached this point, and serious questions remain about his competency. That can’t be a good sign. His mismanagement masterclass in Washington was merely the latest in a string of red flags. Eberflus is a quality human being and a great defensive coordinator. Yet, his inability to elevate the entire team in big games cannot be ignored. If things go south over the next few weeks, it sounds like his time in Chicago will run out.