Matt Eberflus has already worn out his welcome with Chicago Bears fans. The past two weeks saw the team blow yet another lead in the final seconds on the Hail Mary in Washington. Then, last Sunday, they didn’t even show up in Arizona, getting blown out 29-9 against the Cardinals. Most of the blame goes to the head coach, who seems to be losing his grip on the locker room with each devastating setback. However, some people have also pointed the finger at GM Ryan Poles. Despite his assertions that this team would be competitive, many of the problems can be traced back to him.
They still don’t have a viable offensive line. His young quarterback, Caleb Williams, is on pace for 62 sacks. That alone is enough for many to justify moving on. Eberflus shouldn’t be the only one to wear this team’s poor record. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog is known for his strong connections to the team. A recent string of posts on Twitter indicate Poles isn’t as safe as some might think, and it stems from his stubborn loyalty to the head coach.
Back in 2014, Phil Emery made the mistake of maintaining his full backing of Marc Trestman despite the wheels coming off in epic fashion during the season. Team chairman George McCaskey thus decided to fire both of them. By contrast, Ryan Pace had clearly distanced himself from John Fox in 2017. The two weren’t communicating much even before the season began. McCaskey was pitched that a coaching change could unlock quarterback Mitch Trubisky, and the team would finally ascend.
It sounds like Ryan Poles is drifting more into the Emery camp. He believes so much in Eberflus’ vision and leadership that he is unwilling to take greater notice of his faults: poor situational awareness, late-game collapses, and questionable accountability. Combine that with the worrying state of the offensive line and the inability to find a competent play-caller? Poles is far from safe.
