Watching the press conference a few weeks ago, many people came away with the impression that Ryan Poles was not in a good place. He didn’t have his usual steady, optimistic bearing. The guy seemed kowtowed and depressed. The Chicago Bears GM had just fired head coach Matt Eberflus after the fiasco in Detroit. Maybe he just didn’t like having to dismiss somebody he liked and respected. Many felt it was a sign that Poles may have lost his grip on power as team president Kevin Warren asserted himself.
The latest update from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network certainly seemed to frame it that way. He made it clear that this head coaching search is Warren’s show. His connections around the league and college football will frame which direction the Bears go, not Poles. It makes you wonder how safe the GM actually is.
“Team president Kevin Warren has a lot of connections around the league from his several decades from in pro and college football. That’s allowed them to get a jump start on the search process gathering background as part of what is expected to be a thorough search led by Warren and GM Ryan Poles. Interviews with current NFL assistants like Ben Johnson cannot begin until after the regular season.”
Yeah, the Bears might’ve adjusted their power structure when they hired Warren last year. However, they had no control when Ted Phillips chose to retire. By all accounts, Warren didn’t interfere with the GM’s operation. Hiring Eberflus and every major move since then was entirely Ryan Poles. That is why he must own this new reality if he’s lost some of his overall power. This team has 14 wins since he took over. The offensive line is a wreck. Players have checked out. His head coach choice was one of the worst in franchise history, which is saying something. If he survives this season, it will be because ownership has a soft spot for him, not because he earned it. Warren stated the GM would stick around for the next head coach hire, but that could change if the coach they want isn’t comfortable working with somebody whose job security is questionable at best.
