In NFL News, the Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus. After their latest meltdown on the Thanksgiving Day stage, this comes as no surprise.
The day after the NFL regular season ends is known as Black Monday. It is not a shopping day except for ousted coaches shopping for new jobs and the teams that fired them shopping for replacements.
The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, a day that is dedicated to reckless shopping.
Chicago muddied the tradition of the “black” days.
Still, as Chicago decides on a path forward, this will have ramifications for the rest of the 2024 season and beyond.
Why Fire Eberflus Now?
The disorganization at the end of Chicago’s 23-20 loss in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day is the obvious justification. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams looked unprepared for the late-game scenarios as Chicago tried to either score a winning touchdown or kick a game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime.
Blame fell on Eberflus for not calling a timeout. Williams took too much time to call a play. His throw toward the end zone fell incomplete as time expired.
Logistics aside, the head coach is responsible for the quarterback’s preparation. It is delegated to the offensive coordinator, the passing game coordinator, and the quarterbacks coach. But the head coach is the ultimate authority.
Williams’ inexperience leads to mistakes. It’s unavoidable. Still, the head coach needs to emphasize the simplest points so it becomes second nature. That has not been the case with Williams.
Short of a Miracle, He Could Not Save His Job
Eberflus’ dismissal was inevitable after the Hail Mary loss in Washington when defensive back Tyrique Stevenson celebrated and taunted fans while the play got underway and Stevenson’s assigned player — Noah Brown — caught the game-winning pass.
Eberflus needed a reverse Hail Mary to save his job and didn’t get it.
Chicago lost five straight after the Washington disaster. Eberflus was a dead man walking, but he probably would have finished the season without Thanksgiving’s showing.
Now, Chicago’s erstwhile interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is the interim head coach. He got the OC job when Shane Waldron was fired three weeks ago.
Kiefer Sutherland didn’t have this quick a rise in Designated Survivor when his character became U.S. President.
Firing Aside, This is a Great Job
Eberflus’ specialty is defense and he could not handle a complicated, mercurial, and talented player like Williams.
The blaring headline of NFL News: The Bears Fire Head Coach Matt Eberflus is only a surprise in that it happened now on Black Friday instead of Black Monday.
Regardless, this is a great opportunity for the right coach. They have the former first overall pick at quarterback, a wealth of offensive talent, a solid defense, and an ownership willing to spend money. Unfortunately for Eberflus, he could not take advantage of the great situation awaiting the next Bears head coach.
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