Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Wednesday he remains confident that Matt Eberflus is the right coach for the team despite mounting losses and off-field concerns.
“I get the question [about Eberflus’ status], but what I see every day and see his approach through adversity, it is stable,” Poles said. “I know in the outside world it doesn’t look like that and I know it looks like we’re far away, but this dude comes in every day and just keeps chipping away.
“He has high integrity. The people that he brings in here, he’s done the work to make sure that they’re the people they’re supposed to be. We hold that standard. If it doesn’t follow that and people aren’t acting that way, they’re not here. The way he holds everything down here is incredible for how loud it is, how tough it is.”
The Bears entered the season with expectations of competing for a playoff spot, but started 0-4 and sit 2-6 heading into a game Sunday at the Saints. Their only wins were against the Commanders and Raiders, who have a combined record of 6-10, and the team got blown out by the Chargers on Sunday.
Eberflus is now 5-20, which is the worst record of any Bears coach and ninth-worst in NFL history among coaches with at least 25 games.
He fired running backs coach David Walker for misconduct Wednesday, six weeks after the forced resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams.
“We have expectations here... If you don’t meet those expectations with how you move around this building, how you treat people, how you talk to people, how you act, you don’t belong here,” Poles said. “The alternative is you do nothing and you just kinda brush it under the rug and you’re cool with it, which we’re not. Or you act accordingly to make sure that your culture is strong.”
