The Chicago Bears finally pulled the plug on the Matt Eberflus experiment. After so many added chances this season, the head coach hit the breaking point when he cost the team another winnable game in Detroit with his failure to manage the final minute. Despite having a timeout in his pocket, he refused to use it, letting precious seconds tick away, forcing Caleb Williams to try saving the day with one last desperate heave to the end zone. It fell incomplete. Another one-score game lost. Another 4th quarter comeback squandered.
Players were irate after the game, confronting Eberflus in the locker room. It got so bad that he had to leave to prevent a fight from breaking out. GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren had seen enough. They went to chairman George McCaskey the next day. After a meeting of a few hours, the decision was made. Eberflus was out. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown became interim head coach, leaving the Bears’ future uncertain. What comes next? Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports gave details on this. Based on what he’s hearing, the next coach must have the mental fortitude for this city.
The Chicago Bears have an open head-coaching position. And there’s a certain type of coach the storied franchise plans to hire.
Multiple sources tell CBS Sports the Bears want to land a “leader of men” type of head coach. Their background on offense or defense won’t matter as much as their leadership abilities with a group of pro athletes in one of the largest media markets in America.
“They need to resemble the attributes of what Chicago stands for,” said one source, adding the coach will need to be battle-tested and mentally strong to be seriously considered for the job.
The leadership angle isn’t surprising. Watching Eberflus wilt under pressure time and again proved he was unequal to the task of coaching this team under the spotlight of major market scrutiny. You need a certain level of self-confidence and mental toughness to deal with that. Mike Ditka, for all his faults, possessed both. It sounds like Poles is taking the same approach he did when hunting for a franchise quarterback. Talent was necessary, sure, but he knew he had to find someone who could handle the pressure of playing in Chicago. The same goes for the next head coach.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Jones’s revelation is the specific words at the end: battle-tested. This would suggest the Chicago Bears may prioritize someone with previous head coaching experience. If that is the case, a few names stick out as possibilities. Bill Belichick is certainly one, but he’s 72. That feels unlikely. Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel qualifies. So does Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, former Raiders coach Jon Gruden, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
They may also explore the college ranks. Luring a head coach from there isn’t a new practice in the NFL, but Chicago hasn’t done it since 1930.
