As a Bears fan, Tuesday felt like one of those days you’ve lived before. That doesn’t make dealing with yesterday’s ridiculousness any easier. But at least you have a routine to navigate through chaos.
- Where is Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and when will he discuss what is happening with his team? Let me say that I understand that Poles has a weekly chat session with ESPN 1000 before games. But things are deteriorating around the Bears so rapidly that you’d think that the general manager would want to calm the waters. When things went off the rails last year, Poles had a press conference that served as a moment of tranquility in what was otherwise a hostile time. The Bears sure could use that right now.
- Maybe I am just accustomed to the Chicago Cubs trotting out Theo Epstein and/or Jed Hoyer to speak regularly and share a state-of-the-team outlook after an underperforming road trip or disappointing homestand. But perhaps that should be the norm for football teams, too. I didn’t love it when Ryan Pace was nowhere to be found as the Bears took a tumble. And I feel similarly now that I’m thinking about how Poles hasn’t addressed the media at Halas Hall.
- In case you missed it: Shane Waldron is OUT as offensive coordinator. Thomas Brown is IN as Waldron’s replacement. Caleb Williams is still QB1 (even though some of his teammates evidently want change). Oh … and the Chicago Bears are revisiting an old option for a new stadium that the team had previously dismissed. Did I miss anything?
- I’m looking forward to writing about Thomas Brown over the next few days. My list of bookmarks is brimming with interesting things I’ve read about the new Bears offensive coordinator that I am looking forward to sharing with you, dear reader.
- Chris Emma (670 The Score) writes that Head Coach Matt Eberflus’ seat is getting hotter after Tuesday’s news. I’m not sure it can get any hotter than what it is now. But what do you expect when you fire two offensive coordinators within 10 months? Both of Eberflus’ OC hires were coaches who came from stable quarterback-developing environments and were supposed to provide stability to a young signal-caller who could grow into being a franchise quarterback. Instead, both QBs experienced hard regression that I believe is rooted in the conservative philosophy of a head coach who prioritizes not screwing up more than he emphasizes making winning plays. It is a losing mentality and it is losing games for the Bears.
- Gene Chamberlain of SI makes a pitch for why keeping Matt Eberflus to play out the string makes sense. And while I understand the value of stability, what good is stability when it is actively working to ruin a first-round quarterback? Perhaps I am projecting. But life experience has taught me that there are times when sticking with the thing you know because it provides a sense of stability is detrimental to your growth as a human because it keeps you from branching out.
- Some perspective: Caleb Williams went from being a high school quarterback in the Washington D.C. area … to starting his college career at Oklahoma … to finishing it in Los Angeles … to entering the NFL in Chicago all before his 23rd birthday. It would make sense that he is well-positioned to handle unexpected changes.
- A disturbing trend I’ve noticed (and others have, too!) is that Bears stadium news surfaces at a time that it can be conveniently used as a distraction. Remember when there was stadium news at the start of NFL free agency? Or when it popped up around NFL Draft time? How about when it came at a time when folks were questioning Matt Eberflus’ future as a head coach last season? Maybe I’m overthinking it and this is all one big coincidence. Or maybe I’m onto something.
- One thing I liked from yesterday: There was a sentiment in my mentions that essentially said we don’t care about the stadium, just win games — and I felt that in my soul. Does this fan base want a new, state-of-the-art stadium with modern amenities, and concession stands it can while being viewed as a crown jewel of stadiums league-wide? Absolutely. But what this fan base wants more than that is to win football games, division titles, conference championships, and Super Bowl rings. I am convinced that Bears fans would accept the team playing at Lane Stadium, Gately, Sox Park, or anywhere else if it meant the team was winning games.
- This is heartwarming: Bears safety Jonathan Owens brought his annual turkey drive to Chicago and provided Thanksgiving meals for more than 500 families in the city. I love seeing players giving back to the communities they play for with charitable efforts.
- A cool read from the Chicago Tribune’s preps department: Anthony Adams III, the son of wildly popular former Bears defensive tackle Anthony Adams, is making a name for himself at Stevenson High School.
- The way ESPN’s Mina Kimes talks about Jerry Jones and his ownership of the Dallas Cowboys is the same way Bears fans discuss the McCaskeys and their ownership of this team:
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