Losing games they should win. Painful mistakes in late-game situations. Ongoing offensive ineptitude. An inability to win on the road. The list of complaints players should have against head coach Matt Eberflus is not inconsiderable. However, they’ve remained professional despite the setbacks, trying to buy into his vision for the Chicago Bears. That seems to have changed over the past two weeks. The brutal final sequence against Washington with the Hail Mary, followed by a complete implosion in Arizona, has left many wondering if Eberflus has lost the locker room.
Caleb Williams, D.J. Moore, Jaylon Johnson, and Kevin Byard have all questioned his decisions publicly at one point or another. None have given him anything close to a strong voice of support. A source contacted SM about what could have led to such a drastic shift. All the reasons listed above are part of it, but there is another people don’t know about.
The practices.
Word is that players feel “overworked” during the week. One even described it as being “tortured.” This is why many in the locker room believe the Bears are suffering such a rash of injuries. So far, 21 players have missed at least one game this season with various ailments. That number is sure to grow after the losses they suffered in Arizona.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to ensure players are in top physical condition for what is a long, grueling season. However, there has to be a balance between working hard and overworking. Sometimes, coaches can get so focused on drilling guys during the week that they’re spent before the next game even arrives. Tired players become careless players, and careless players get hurt. Eberflus is far from the only coach who works his players hard in practice. Unfortunately, it seems he doesn’t know when to take his foot off the gas.
Combine that with the other problems, and it’s no wonder players are starting to get tired of him. It must feel like the head coach is constantly working against them. He runs them ragged in practice and doesn’t mind pointing out their mistakes but hesitates to take responsibility for his own. On top of that, while people keep talking about his leadership qualities, he doesn’t seem to have much of a natural presence. Maybe he can still turn things around, but it sounds like he may already be across the point of no return.
