The Chicago Bears have not had a quality head coach since Lovie Smith was fired following the 2012 season. And now their hungry franchise will be left putting their hopes into another first-year head coach: Matt Eberflus.
Eberflus has been the defensive coordinator with the Colts. And after the Bears hired Chiefs exec Ryan Poles as their new GM earlier in the week, it was announced on Thursday morning that Eberflus would be the guy to replace Matt Nagy as their next coach.
🚨🚨 MATT EBERFLUS IS YOUR NEW CHICAGO BEARS HEAD COACH 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/DaW0nFjyDV
— Bears Talk (@NBCSBears) January 27, 2022
Chicago Bears fans came into the offseason hoping to get an offensive mind like Brian Daboll or Byron Leftwich (and dreaming of the likes of Sean Payton or Mike Tomlin). But when push came to shove, the Bears front office and ownership chose to go defensive with Matt Eberflus.
Immediately, fans had a mixed reaction to the decision.
The #Bears are hiring #Colts DC Matt Eberflus as their HC, per @AdamSchefter.
Bears swapped Ryan and Matt as HC and GM to… Ryan and Matt once again.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 27, 2022
For me the only things that matter when it comes to the Eberflus hire are:
1 – who is his OL coach
2 – who is his QB coach
3 – who is his OCEverything after that comes secondary to me.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 27, 2022
Matt Eberflus will become the 1st guy in NFL History to lose his final game as a Defensive Coordinator to the worst team in the league and then get hired as a Head Coach #StatThat
— 160 Days Till NFL Football (@BostonConnr) January 27, 2022
Matt Eberflus might be a really good coach, but this just feels like a setup for a never-ending revolving door at OC which is the last thing you want for your young QB.
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) January 27, 2022
Matt Eberflus has always preached intensity, toughness. Is considered a great leader of men. Bears have been a soft af team for years. This hire, combined with Ryan Poles (a former OL at GM), should make this a much more physical team
— Jeremy Layton (@JeremyLayt0n) January 27, 2022
Me googling to find out more about Matt Eberflus….. pic.twitter.com/aPWmoneR9a
— Terence M. Young (@Terence_M_Young) January 27, 2022
Honest thoughts on Matt Eberflus.
We know nothing. And it sucks.
He improved the Colts significantly.
But to me who cares…
I’m done with good D, bad O.To beat out Quinn & Caldwell and their staff connections. He must have presented a hell of a plan for Justin Fields.
— Max Markham (@MaxMarkhamNFL) January 27, 2022
Many of you know I have like Eberflus for a while. So I am happy with this decision.
But, before you form an opinion, I encourage you to do your own research on him. Don’t dismiss him before you do that. That’s all I ask. #Bears
— Patrick Sheldon (@P_Shels) January 27, 2022
At the end of the day, hiring a first-year head coach is usually a crap shoot, and that’s what the Matt Eberflus hire feels like to me.
Every year, a handful of teams enter the bidding for the “top” coordinators to come in and be their next head coach. And more times than not, that guy doesn’t turn the team into a championship contender.
With Matt Eberflus, the Bears are putting their faith in guy who has over 20 years of experience in the NFL, and demands respect from his players and colleagues.
Whether or not it works out is anyone’s best guess.
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