NEWSLETTER
The dynamic between Bears Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy and Head Coach Matt Eberflus (whose job is reportedly safe) has never felt like it was on the rocks. But in recent weeks, things have gotten a bit tense.
Last week, Eberflus answered a question regarding Getsy’s job status with deflection and said he would review things after the season. Saying a coach’s status for next season will be under evaluation after the season lands somewhere between an ominous sign and a harbinger of doom. When reflecting on the offense’s shortcomings in 2023, this quote from Eberflus speaks volumes regarding the state of things:
“We have to do a better job with short yardage. There is no question about that. You have to have a staple. Something that you go to. It’s usually the sneak, or the wedge, or the rugby, or whatever you’re calling that Philadelphia play. We’ve done that a couple of times, but we need to be more effective. … And then you need some stuff that hits the perimeter because teams will load up inside on you, pack everybody in, and leave themselves vulnerable on the outside. We certainly have that in our arsenal, too. But it comes down to execution”
For the first time in a long time, the words coming from Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus appear to be in line with what our eyes have been seeing for quite some time. It isn’t always like this with Eberflus, so I’ll take this moment for all it’s worth. Soak it in, friends. The coach sees what we’re seeing. Now, to do something about it.
Luke Getsy’s last stand
Two of our longest-standing criticisms of the Bears offensive coordinator pop up in the quote above from Eberflus. And that really hit me in my gut.
Firstly, this offense has no staple play. Every good team has an offensive play it can go to in a time of need. The Bears do not have such a play. One reason the Bears aren’t a good team is that this play does not exist in the offense. I think of Philly’s Tush Push or the slants in Green Bay as staple plays. When in doubt, the Packers — no matter if their quarterback was Favre, Rodgers, or even Jordan Love in Week 1 — always had a slant play that moved the chains in a big moment. There is no “go-to” play in Luke Getsy’s offense. And that has been a limiting factor in what this group can do.
Secondly, Eberflus brings the one-dimensional nature of the short-yardage plays the Bears run. What is most frustrating about that aspect of the Eberflus quote is that Getsy’s offense had those types of plays last year. Do you remember what the offense looked like after Luke Getsy stole plays from the Baltimore Ravens playbook and gave them to Justin Fields? Maybe teams are better at taking those away this year. But it hasn’t felt like they’ve run those plays with any sort of consistency. It’s hard to come up with a staple play when it feels like the OC is calling plays to show off the volume of his playbook.
At the end of the day, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re arriving at Luke Getsy’s last stand. Just two more games of this coordinator orchestrating this offense with this quarterback. What happens next season and beyond is up in the air. The fates of the others will wait. But it sure feels like the end of the road for this group as currently constructed.
For more from the Bears head coach, check out the video below:
