The Bears are constantly trying to reassure everyone that everything’s fine when it clearly isn’t, and coach Matt Eberflus errantly went down that path Wednesday amid the fallout of another blowout loss and the exit of another assistant coach for misconduct.
The main points he tried to convey were that the team is 2-2 in its last four games, as though that’s indicative of excellence, and that the organization showed the strength of its “awesome” culture in firing running backs coach David Walker and moving forward toward a game Sunday at the Saints.
How does going 2-2 in the last four games, the most recent of which a non-competitive performance in a 30-13 loss to the Chargers, outweigh everything that happened before it in a season rife with embarrassment and disappointment?
“Because we’re in the present right here, right now, right?” Eberflus said. “So that’s where we are. We’re focusing on New Orleans. ... We’re focused where our feet are.”
When asked if his position was that this was a good day for the Bears, since he highlighted the strength of the culture and the response to Walker’s situation, Eberflus said, “No, it’s not. We’re all disappointed. It’s never good when this has to happen. Certainly a disappointment. But I do know this, adversity does make you stronger in your personal life, in your team life, it does make you stronger. It’s just how you come through it. It’s how you respond to it.”
Not only have the Bears been a wreck on the field at 2-6, and 5-20 over Eberflus’ tenure, but they’ve had repeated off-field issues. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned over misconduct, wide receiver Chase Claypool was exiled from the team over his attitude and eventually traded and quarterback Justin Fields raised issues in Week 3 over how he was being coached.
Throughout all of that, Eberflus has struggled to show competence and clarity in handling the issues publicly.
