Halas Hall is burning barely two weeks into the Bears’ season.
And the man at the center of their firestorm did little to extinguish it Wednesday.
Coming off a pair of embarrassing losses, Bears coach Matt Eberflus faced questions about quarterback Justin Fields going public with frustration about being overcoached, the unknown whereabouts and status of defensive coordinator Alan Williams and how he’ll possibly lead this team at a time when the offense and defense require his full attention.
Oh, and they play the defending champion Chiefs on the road Sunday.
“You focus on here and now,” Eberflus said. “That’s all you can do — be where your feet are, focusing right now.”
That’s practical, but not nearly a sufficient answer. Corporate-sounding clichés aren’t enough to steer the Bears out of this crisis.
Speaking of non-answers, Eberflus wouldn’t say anything about Williams’ absence. It’s extremely abnormal for a coach, especially one as high-ranking as a coordinator, to step away during the season for this long with no explanation.
Eberflus wouldn’t answer whether he thought Williams would return at any point this season, whether he still has his job or whether they’ve even spoken while he’s been out.
The only reason Eberflus has given since Williams left a week ago was “personal,” which gave the appearance of a relatively minor situation. Now, because of Eberflus and the Bears’ unwillingness or inability to give even the slightest clarity, there’s an incredibly wide range of concerns.
The last time Halas Hall endured this degree of turmoil was about two years ago, when a false story about former coach Matt Nagy being pre-fired spun out of control as the organization bungled opportunities to contain it. His bosses, chairman George McCaskey, president Ted Phillips and general manager Ryan Pace, allowed it to engulf the Bears’ entire week.
That appears to be happening on various fronts this week.
