Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
The criticism of the Chicago Bears coaching staff has been rampant on social media, from fans and analysts alike, for much of the 2023 season. The bulk of the criticism has been directed at ex-offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, whose questionable playcalling and failure to put quarterback Justin Fields in favorable situations on the field hindered the team on multiple occasions.
The Bears won four of their last six games, but multiple late-game collapses coupled with a season bookended by ugly losses to the rival Green Bay Packers left many fans hoping for change while bashing the coaching.
After the team’s final loss of the season to Green Bay, top wide receiver DJ Moore was asked for his thoughts on Getsy.
Via Sean Hammond of The Daily Herald, Moore gave about the most lukewarm endorsement you’ll ever hear: “I think he’s fine. You know, like I said, it just comes down to us being explosive on the offensive side. We got the players to do it. We got our QB to do it. Everything else, we just need to call the plays that put us in position to have explosives.”
Sure, Moore wasn’t overtly critical of Getsy, but calling a coach “fine” is hardly a ringing endorsement. Then, other players started talking.
DeMarcus Walker on Whether Bears’ Coaches Should Return: ‘I Don’t Know, Man’
#Bears DE DeMarcus Walker asked if the coaching staff has built something worth bringing back:
“I don’t know man. That’s for Mr. Warren, the McCaskey family, and Poles. It’s up to those guys to make that decision. I get paid a lot of money, but not that much.”
Defensive end DeMarcus Walker, who signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Bears in 2023, was asked if the coaches have done enough to get brought back next year. He didn’t exactly give the thumbs up.
“I don’t know man,” Walker said, per sideline reporter Mark Grote. “That’s for Mr. Warren, the McCaskey family, and Poles. It’s up to those guys to make that decision. I get paid a lot of money, but not that much.”
Comments like these from players matter, because they’re opportunities to endorse the coaching staff. When that doesn’t happen, it’s very telling.
Starting Safety Jaquan Brisker Also Had Telling Comments About Matt Eberflus
In a January 9 appearance on 670 The Score’s “Bernstein & Holmes Show,” Bears starting safety Jaquan Brisker was asked about Chicago’s 17-9 Week 18 loss to the Packers.
Chicago’s defense gave up 316 total passing yards. It also allowed young players to impose their will. Packers fifth-round rookie WR Dontayvion Wicks scored twice, and 2023 second-rounder Jayden Reed had a 100-yard game.
Brisker noted that the secondary could have “tightened up a little bit” against Green Bay. Co-host Dan Bernstein responded by asking Brisker if he felt the team should have moved to man coverage — or found a way to get tighter coverage — the Bears safety answered in the affirmative.
“Yeah,” Brisker replied, noting many of Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s throws were three-step drops that were released quickly. “Maybe play some of those man-to-man, some, maybe play a different type of zone.”
Bernstein then wondered whether Brisker, who has a solid relationship with Eberflus, shared this opinion at all during the game.
“This game, I really didn’t,” Brisker responded. “Going into halftime, coach talked to us, talked to the team and said he was going to stick with the plan. It was a 7-6 game (at that point) … The plan was the plan the first half, and they (Green Bay) adjusted in the second half.”
So, one team made halftime adjustments after the half and the other refused to incorporate any changes in the game plan. Eberflus’s inability to make in-game adjustments has been concerning all season, but to hear one of his top defenders talk about it is illuminating.