ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith immediately questioned Matt Eberflus's future with the Chicago Bears after he mismanaged the clock at the end of the Bears' last-second loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
After Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked at the Lions' 41-yard line—pushing the Bears just outside of their likely field goal range—Eberflus didn't call the one timeout he had in his pocket. As the clock dwindled, Williams snapped the ball with seven seconds left and threw a deep ball which fell incomplete and ended the game while Chicago had the one timeout remaining.
Smith immediately took to social media to question whether this was the straw that broke the camel's back for Eberflus' future, or potential lack thereof, in Chicago.
No timeout. Not spiking if the ball. You get off just one play in the final 26 seconds. Is there any more proof needed for the @ChicagoBears and their fans everywhere that a new coach is needed? That it’s time for a change?
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 28, 2024
Speaking on First Take Friday morning, Smith reiterated his stance saying that Eberflus should have been fired the minute the Bears landed back in Chicago or even before they took off from Detroit. He also called Eberflus "clueless" because it appears he's looking for instructions as opposed to looking to provide them.
"He is clueless, he is clueless," Smith repeated on First Take. "What kind of situation does that put your players in?"
Smith continued to urge the Bears make a decision to cut ties with Eberflus sooner rather than later.
"I'm disappointed that we're here today and he has his job at this particular moment," Smith continued. "He should have been fired the second that they landed back in Chicago."
"That man Eberflus should have been fired the minute they landed back in Chicago."
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 29, 2024
—@stephenasmith 👀 pic.twitter.com/YPLUZ1xVls
We'll see if and when Chicago makes a decision on Eberflus. The Bears have a few extra days to try and regroup before they get ready to travel west for their next game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 8.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Described Matt Eberflus With One Word After Clock Management Issues.
