The Chicago Bears experienced one of the wildest days in recent memory at Halas Hall on Wednesday and general manager Ryan Poles is trying to steady the ship. Poles held an impromptu press conference with the media on Thursday to address the status of the team after the string of news and rumors that took over social media the day before.
On Wednesday, quarterback Justin Fields had strong comments about his early season struggles and how coaching has impacted his play. Fields walked those comments back and wanted to make it clear the blame lies with him. While that was happening, rumors swirled about (now) former defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who resigned from his position yesterday citing health reasons. Williams had been away from the team dealing with a personal matter.
Buy Bears TicketsWith the rampant rumors and noise that’s permeated across sports stations and social media, Poles decided to address them and assure everyone that no one is panicking after their 0-2 start.
“To be really clear, I know there’s outside noise but no one in our building is panicking,” Poles said via 670 The Score’s Chris Emma. “Nobody is flinching at any situations. Not our owner. Not our president. Not our head coach. Not myself. None of our players. Everybody is focusing on solving the issues we have so we can become a better football team.”
Ryan Poles: "To be really clear, I know there's outside noise but no one in our building is panicking. Nobody is flinching at any situations. Not our owner. Not our president. Not our head coach. Not myself. None of our players. Everybody is focusing on solving the issues we have…
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 21, 2023
The Bears general manager also took time to address Fields’ comments and isn’t worried about the quarterback pointing the finger at anyone.
“The guy has been successful the moment he stepped into high school football. So, he’s dealing with adversity and dealing with taking his game to the next level through many different situations and change,” Poles explained via Emma. “I think that’s where you get the frustration from. I thought he took ownership of everything. He didn’t have to say anything about that. Our coaches are like, ‘How can we make you better? How can we help you be successful?’ And there’s always that balance. No one took it personally.”
Ryan Poles said of Justin Fields: "The guy has been successful the moment he stepped into high school football. So, he’s dealing with adversity and dealing with taking his game to the next level through many different situations and change. I think that’s where you get the…
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 21, 2023
As far as the situation regarding Williams, Poles wasn’t ready to divulge much information but said Halas Hall was not part of an FBI raid, despite social media rumors. Poles is also not ready to name a defensive coordinator yet, but that should come next week via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Poles says the team will figure out titles for defensive staff next week. Sounds like team could name a coordinator. We'll see.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) September 21, 2023
Overall, Poles didn’t say anything groundbreaking during Thursday’s media session, but it was important that someone address everything that has gone on. To have so much noise come out of a team’s facility in a matter of hours is rare, especially so early in the season. The Bears can get things back on track, but they will need to get past the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs first, Poles’ former team. The Bears and Chiefs kick off on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT.
