Poles, Eberflus Made Great First Impression On First Presser
January 31, 2022, 7:48 PM CST
Today was the introductory press conference for new GM Ryan Poles and new Head Coach Matt Eberflus. And boy did they make good first impressions. Let's start with Poles. In his opening statement, he gave us an idea of what to look forward too, with him stating that the team will build through the draft through acquiring "young, fast, and physical football players." He also stated "We are going to be selective in free agency, and we're going to connect evaluation with valuation." One of Bears fans favorite things he said was "The most important piece is we're going to take the North and never give it back." That is exactly what you want to hear from the guy entrusted with fixing this team.
On the other hand, we go to Matt Eberflus. A lot of people got a good vibe from Eberflus, as he came off as a guy who had a clear vision on how to lead the team on and off the field. He has a plan in place, all starting with four core principles, which he calls H.I.T.S. (Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways, Smarts). In just a one hour press conference, Eberflus has already figured out more "whys" than Matt Nagy did in his entire coaching tenure. He's established an identity with this H.I.T.S. principle. The Bears are on the right track. Oh, and speaking of track, one of my favorite quotes from this presser was delivered by Eberflus, "Get your track shoes on, cause we're running." This was targeted as a word of advice to the players. I love it, just a few days into the job and he's already telling the players to be ready, and to basically give maximum effort on every play.
Oh yeah, Justin Fields also made a cameo and answered some questions. He mentioned how he was excited to get to work with Eberflus, Getsy, and the rest of the coaching staff. He mentioned how he was ready to step up and be a leader, especially now that he is QB1 going forward. Finally, he mentioned how having a defensive coach may be an advantage to him, as he can better learn how to read coverages.
Matt Eberflus (left) and Ryan Poles (right)
Bears Hire Matt Eberflus As Head Coach
January 27, 2022, 10:39 AM CST
Th Bears have hired Colts DC Matt Eberflus as Head Coach. Eberflus replaces Matt Nagy, who was fired on January 10, 2022.
Eberflus becomes the 17th Head Coach in franchise history. He was the Colts DC from 2018-2021. This is his first time being a Head Coach at any level. Under Eberflus, the Colts defense was one of the best in the league, being top 10 in run D and takeaways in all four years, top 10 in points in 3 of 4 years, and were one of the most disciplined defenses in the league, having the least amount of penalties in 2019 and 2021.
Eberflus now begins the task of filling out his coaching staff. I am updating this following Chris Tabor's departure to Carolina, and it appears the replacement Special Teams Coordinator is likely going to be Rich Bissacia, the Raiders STC turned Interim Head Coach.
New Bears HC Matt Eberflus
Dan Quinn: He May Be The Right Guy
January 26, 2022, 9:17 PM CST
The Bears had 3 finalists for the Head Coaching job before Ryan Poles was hired as GM. Whether Poles mentioned these guys in his interview for GM or not, he has already interviewed all 3 one on one. Those candidates were Matt Eberflus, Jim Caldwell, and Dan Quinn. I don't think Eberflus is the guy, but I wouldn't mind either Caldwell or Quinn. If a Head Coach isn't hired tomorrow I will write an article on Caldwell. But for now, I think Dan Quinn could be the guy. I understand things fell apart in Atlanta. I know he lost in the Super Bowl in less than desirable fashion. But he brought his team to a Super Bowl. Even with all that happened, they still made the playoffs the next year (and beat an up and coming Rams team in the Wild Card). Now, most of the concern will probably come with the offense situation. Dan Quinn has a lot of people around the league that would come work for him. To name a few offensive coordinators, Kyle Shanahan and Steve Sarkisian. Shanahan is on the verge of bringing the Niners to their second Super Bowl in 3 years, while Sarkisian is the Head Coach of Texas after being a crucial part of Alabama's 2020 Championship. So Quinn can bring in some good coaches to help Fields develop. Maybe Caldwell could even come in as the OC to help develop Fields. It's not out of the question. Oh yeah, and Quinn's defenses have been pretty good as well. For these reasons, I believe Dan Quinn may be the guy for Chicago.
Dan Quinn
Bears To Name Ryan Poles As GM
January 25, 2022, 12:30 PM CST
The Bears are hiring Chiefs Executive Director of Player Personnel Ryan Poles as the next GM of the franchise. Poles replaces Ryan Pace, who was fired 15 days ago on January 10, 2022.
Poles has served in many roles with the Chiefs in the past under many different regimes, with the past year being his first as Executive Director of Player Personnel. Poles has played a huge part in building the Chiefs roster, as he was the one who drafted Patrick Mahomes. He’s been with the Chiefs all 13 of his front office years. Poles played college football at Boston College as an Offensive Lineman, and he was signed as a UDFA in 2008 by the Bears (although he did not make the final roster).
Poles will now be in full control of the Head Coach search, as that was reportedly a key factor into him becoming the GM. The Bears made sure to fly him out today to keep him from joining the Minnesota Vikings, who reportedly had him #1 on their list until the Bears came in and stole him at the last minute (kind of like how we got Justin Fields and not Minnesota). Poles was also a finalist for the Giants GM job, which was eventually given to Joe Schoen.
New Bears GM Ryan Poles
Ryan Poles Appears To Be The Favorite For The Bears GM Job
January 25, 2022, 6:21 AM CST
The Bears are interviewing Ryan Poles today for the second time. Originally, Bill Polian wanted a Morocco Brown-Matt Eberflus combo for Bears GM-HC. However, Poles completely flipped their mindset. It now appears the Bears are targeting Poles for the GM job. This second interview comes at a great time too. Matt Eberflus has a second interview tomorrow, and having a GM present is key for the Bears. You would want the GM to be part of an interview that could ultimately lead to a candidate being hired. Yesterday, it was reported that if Poles interviews well today then the Bears may hire him on the spot. But the most interesting part is the video that surfaced overnight. It shows George McCaskey personally meeting Ryan Poles in O'Hare Airport with full Bears gear on. (Yes, one of the most secretive franchises sending their chairman to personally meet a GM candidate, who is much rumored to be the frontrunner, at one of the busiest airports in the world). This video could mean a lot. It could mean nothing in the end. Either way, the Bears may have a new GM today.
Ryan Poles
Bears Request Second Interview With GM Candidate Ryan Poles
January 22, 2022, 10:57 AM CST
The Bears have requested a second interview with GM candidate Ryan Poles. Poles is the first GM candidate to get a second interview from Chicago. Poles is currently the Executive Director of Player Personnel in Kansas City. Poles is responsible for drafting Patrick Mahomes as well. He was actually a player for the Bears, signing as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He did not make the final roster though. Poles only interviewed yesterday with Chicago, so the Bears must've liked him.
Poles is also a finalist for the Minnesota GM job, and was a finalist for the Giants job before they hired Joe Schoen.
Ryan Poles
Matt Eberflus To Get A Second Interview, Is Desai Leaving?
January 19, 2022, 9:03 PM CST
Today was a busy day for the Chicago Bears. They interviewed another GM candidate in Ran Carthon, the 49ers Director of Pro Personnel. Ed Dodds withdrew his name from the GM search. But those weren't the biggest stories. It actually began this morning, with an interesting emergence about Sean Desai. The Seahawks have requested to interview him for their DC job after they fired their DC Ken Norton Jr yesterday. We don't know if the Bears will approve the request, although many Bears fans have hyped up a potential Vic Fangio return should Desai join Seattle. Later in the day, it emerged that Colts DC Matt Eberflus was going to get a second interview with the Bears. Eberflus interviewed on Monday for the job, and must've made a good impression on the Bears search team. I still expect them to hire a GM first before making their coaching decision. The Bears still have yet to interview Leslie Frazier, Todd Bowles, Byron Leftwich, and Dan Quinn for the Head Coaching job.
Colts DC and Bears HC Candidate Matt Eberflus
Ed Dodds Withdraws From Bears GM Search
January 19, 2022, 8:50 PM CST
As the Bears continue their GM search, one candidate has decided to withdraw from contention for the job. Ed Dodds, the Colts VP of Player Personnel, has had a history of rejecting potential GM jobs with Cleveland and Carolina. Now he has withdrawn from Chicago's search. But why? Well, the rumor is he didn't interview well for the job. Now, this is only a rumor and it did not originate from me, so that cannot be confirmed for sure. People have noted that Dodds is not a relation building guy, more of a guy who is focused on harder work. As we have seen in the past, the Bears like to hire guys who build good relationships and bring a good culture to the organization (Nagy and Pace are good examples). Maybe he thought he didn't make a good impression with the Bears. Or maybe he just wanted to stay in Indy. Either way, one GM candidate has been eliminated, and the search continues.
In other GM news, the Bears interviewed 49ers Director of Pro Personnel Ran Carthon for the GM job today.
Ed Dodds
Bears Had Busy Wild Card Weekend With Interviews
January 17, 2022, 8:59 PM CST
This weekend was all about NFL playoffs for football fans. But for the Chicago Bears organization, it was all about the search to find the next GM and Head Coach to lead the franchise. On Friday, the Bears interviewed Head Coach candidate Brian Flores and GM candidate Jeff Ireland for the jobs. Flores was the former Dolphins Head Coach who was surprisingly fired on Black Monday. Many Bears fans want Flores as our Head Coach because he led the Dolphins to back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021. Ireland is the Saints Assistant GM, and he actually has GM experience as the Dolphins GM from 2008-2013. On Saturday, the Bears interviewed GM candidate Monti Ossenfort as well as HC candidates Jim Caldwell and Nathaniel Hackett. Ossenfort is currently the Titans Director of Player Personnel, but prior to that spent 17 years in New England as their Director of College Scouting. Caldwell has been a Head Coach twice with the Colts and Lions, compiling a 62-50 record over his 7 seasons at the top. In his first season with the Colts, he led them to a Super Bowl appearance. Caldwell is widely considered the last good Lions Head Coach, as he led them to winning seasons in 3 of the 4 seasons he was there. Caldwell last coached in the NFL in 2019 as Assistant Head Coach and Quarterbacks Coach of the Miami Dolphins. Hackett is currently the Packers OC, a role where he has much experience in as he has served as the Bills and Jaguars OC in the past. He is currently in his third season with the Packers. On Sunday, it was Buffalo Bills day at Halas Hall. The Bears interviewed Bills Assistant GM Joe Schoen for the GM vacancy, and Bills OC Brian Daboll for the HC job. Schoen and Daboll have both has 21 years of experience in the NFL. Schoen has many years of scouting experience, serving in different scouting roles from 2002-2013 before becoming Dolphins Director of Player Personnel in 2014, and moving to Buffalo in 2017. Daboll spent 2009-2012 as OC of a few different teams, before becoming the Tight Ends Coach in New England from 2013-2016. In 2017, Daboll found his way down to Alabama where he was the OC/QB Coach under Nick Saban, helping guide the Tide to a National Championship. Daboll was hired as the Bills OC the following season, and has been with them ever since. Many Bears fans were highly anticipating his interview after his offense scored 47 points the day before on a Top 5 Patriots defense in the Wild Card game. Today, it was Colts day as GM candidate Ed Dodds and HC candidate Matt Eberflus were interviewed today. Dodds is the Colts Assistant GM, and he has plenty of NFL experience as he spent time with the Seahawks from 2007-2016 as a Senior Personnel Executive who evaluated pro and college talent. What makes this interesting is he has previously turned down GM interviews in the past, so this could signify he is interested in the Bears job. Eberflus is currently the Colts DC, a role he has spent the last four seasons in. His defenses have been pretty good in Indy, after he inherited the 30th ranked defense from 2017 and turned it into a Top 10 defense in 2018.
The Bears have now interviewed 13 people for the Head Coach and GM vacancies. The only scheduled interview for the future that we know of is Bills DC Leslie Frazier, who was originally going to interview on Sunday but will now interview of Friday.
Former Dolphins HC Brian Flores
Bears Interview GM Candidates Adofo-Mensah, Champ Kelly
January 14, 2022, 8:29 AM CST
The Bears conducted two GM interviews yesterday with Browns VP of Football Ops Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and current Bears Assistant Director of Player Personnel Champ Kelly. Adofo-Mensah spent 7 seasons in the 49ers front office before moving to Cleveland for these past 2 seasons. The Bears also interviewed an in-house GM candidate today in Champ Kelly. Kelly has spent the past 7 seasons in the Bears front office, with the first two as Director of Pro Scouting and these past 5 seasons as Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Kelly has been interviewed for other GM jobs in the past. With these two interviews, the Bears now have interviewed 3 candidates for GM, and both candidates from Cleveland.
The Bears will be interviewing HC candidate Brian Flores today, and there may be another candidate interviewing for a job as well.
Champ Kelly
Bears Conduct Interviews With Cook For GM, Pederson For HC
January 12, 2022, 6:14 PM CST
Earlier today, Wednesday January 12, the Bears conducted interviews with GM Candidate Glenn Cook and Head Coach candidate Doug Pederson. Cook has had a lot of experience in the Browns front office, serving as the Assistant Director of Pro Scouting from 2016-2019, and since 2020 has held the position of Browns Vice President of Player Personnel. Another cool fact about Cook is that he has connections with Chicago sports, as he was drafted in the 46th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Cubs. Pederson began his coaching career with Philadelphia in 2009 as an Offensive Quality Control Coach, working his way up to Quarterbacks Coach. Andy Reid brought him with to Kansas City when he left Philly, and Pederson was given the Offensive Coordinator job. Pederson was named Eagles Head Coach in 2016, where he led them to a 42-37-1 record in his 5 years at the helm, a 4-2 playoff record and a Super Bowl victory.
Former Eagles HC and Bears HC Candidate Doug Pederson
Bears GM/Head Coach Search: 1/12
January 12, 2022
Here is the article that will be updated throughout the third day of the hire cycle for the Chicago Bears.
Quick Recap: In the first 2 days since the firings of Nagy and Pace, the Bears have requested or plan to interview 17 different candidates combined for the jobs. Naming all of the candidates (teams can be found on previous articles): Leslie Frazier, Morocco Brown, Doug Pederson, Glenn Cook, Brian Daboll, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Nathaniel Hackett, Todd Bowles, Byron Leftwich, Matt Eberflus, Ed Dodds, Dan Quinn, Brian Flores, Jeff Ireland, Ran Carthon, Rick Smith, and Joe Schoen.
GM Candidates: The Bears started off the day by requesting to interview Steelers VP Omar Khan for the GM Position. Khan has been long rumored for GM jobs, but could be waiting to take over the Steelers GM job once their current GM retires. The second candidate of the day is Patriots Director of Scouting Eliot Wolf, a former member of the Packers and Browns front offices.
Head Coach Candidates: As of 12:53 PM CST, no information has come out on any Head Coaches the Bears want to interview.
Ted Phillips (left) and George McCaskey (right)
Bears GM/Head Coach Search: 1/11
January 11, 2022
To avoid writing 30 different articles today, this one will be updated throughout the day detailing all of the candidates the Bears want to interview for Head Coach/GM that come out today.
Quick Recap From Yesterday: Nagy and Pace were fired in the morning. The first candidate to be known was Bills DC Leslie Frazier. Shortly thereafter, the Bears requested to interview Colts Director of College Scouting Morocco Brown for the GM position. Other GM candidates were both from the Browns, VP of Player Personnel Glenn Brown and VP of Football Ops Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The other two names from yesterday were Head Coaching candidates, former Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson and Bills OC Brian Daboll.
Early Morning: Early this morning 3 names came out that the Bears had requested to interview. Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, Buccaneers OC Brian Leftwich, and Bucs DC Todd Bowles. Of the three, Bowles is the only one with Head Coaching experience when he coached the Jets from 2015-2018.
Colts: The Bears requested to interview Colts DC Matt Eberflus for the Head Coach position and Colts VP of Player Personnel Ed Dodds for the GM Position. Dodds has previously turned down smaller team (like Carolina) GM jobs for a larger job in the future, and the Bears may be that larger job.
Other Head Coach Candidates: The Bears requested to interview Cowboys DC Dan Quinn for the head coach job. Quinn led the Falcons to a Super Bowl, where we all know what happened. The Bears are also set to interview former Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores for the Head Coach job.
Other GM Candidates: The Bears requested to interview more GMs in the afternoon. The first of which is Saints Assistant GM Jeff Ireland. Remember that Pace came from New Orleans as well. The Bears also want to interview former NFL Running Back and current 49ers Director of Player Personnel Ran Carthon for the job. The Bears also requested to interview Bills Assistant GM Joe Schoen for the job, bringing the total amount of people we want to interview from the Bills up to 3. Lastly, the Bears plan to talk to Former Texans GM Rick Smith, who is interested in the job. Smith built the Texans roster up to playoff contending status, until he stepped down in 2017 to deal with personal issues. But he is ready to be a GM again and the Bears may have him high on their list.
George McCaskey
Bears Request For Adofo-Mensah, Cook, Daboll
January 10, 2022, 10:13 PM CST
I am back for one more article tonight. As I sit here in my chair with the CFP National Championship game on in the background, I couldn't help but process everything that has happened today. As I mentioned at the end of the last article, the Bears requested to interview two Cleveland Browns top executives. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Glenn Cook. Adofo-Mensah served as the Director of Football Research with the Niners before moving to Cleveland to become the VP of Football Ops. He was interviewed by Carolina for their vacancy last year. Cook served as the Assistant Director of Pro Scouting from 2016-19 before a promotion to VP of Player Personnel. Cook also may have some secrets of Green Bay, as he spent time from 2012-15 with the Packers.
The final request the Bears made tonight was for Bills OC Brian Daboll, a long-time favorite for the job. Daboll was able to turn Josh Allen from a high bust potential pick to a Top 10 NFL Quarterback. If he does join the Bears, hopefully he can help develop Fields into that franchise QB the Bears are all hoping for.
Reminder that this is just day 1 of the offseason. Make sure to stay tuned to my site and my socials for fast Bears news. I will update you guys on everything as soon as I can.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Bears Request To Interview Brown For GM, Pederson For HC
January 10, 2022, 6:34 PM CST
Following the request to interview Leslie Frazier, the Bears are now expected to interview two more candidates for the vacancies in this organization. The first of which being current Colts Director of College Scouting Morocco Brown, a former Pro Scout of 7 years for the Bears. Brown has been Chris Ballard's right hand man in his Indianapolis stay, making many solid draft selections. In Head Coaching terms, the Bears are expected to interview former Eagles Head Coach Doug Pederson for the job. Pederson won a Super Bowl in 2017 and had a solid tenure until his relations with ownership fell apart at the end of his spell. He was spotted at the Bears facility last offseason.
Man I am burnt out today. A lot of news, so this will officially be my last article tonight. As I was writing this article, two more names for the Bears GM opening came up, Browns VP of Football Ops Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Browns VP of Player Personnel Glenn Cook have been requested to be interviewed by the Bears for the GM job. I will cover anything from now on in an article tomorrow, but for now I will be signing off.
Doug Pederson
Bears Requested To Interview Leslie Frazier For Head Coach
January 10, 2022, 2:33 PM CST
The Chicago Bears have made their first request to interview a Head Coaching candidate of the 2021 cycle, and it is one Bears fans probably will not enjoy. The Bears have requested to interview former Bears player and former Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier, who is currently the Bills Defensive Coordinator, for the open spot at Head Coach. In my opinion, I don't think he is exactly a good fit for the Bears. He did not have winning experience as a head coach, something I think is vital if we were to hire an experienced candidate (outside of Todd Bowles). This could also be a move to help satisfy the Rooney Rule, which says a team must interview two minority coaches for head coach. It will honestly be interesting to see how he interviews, as he was likely suggested by Tony Dungy, a Super Bowl winning coach for the Colts, for the role.
Bills DC Leslie Frazier
Brian Flores Has To Be On The Bears Head Coach Radar
January 10, 2022, 12:33 PM CST
The Bears fired Head Coach Matt Nagy earlier this morning, something long expected. The Vikings fired Mike Zimmer this morning as well. But the big shock in the coaching carousel was the firing of Brian Flores by the Dolphins. Flores went 24-25 in his 3 seasons with Miami, with most of those losses coming in their rebuilding year in 2019. He had led them to back to back winning seasons, but no playoff appearances and Dolphins management supposedly had enough. I think Flores should now be considered as a top candidate for the Bears Head Coach job. I understand he was a DC in New England under Belichick, but he has done well in Miami, losing just twice to New England in 6 games against them. Being a DC may turn the Bears away, but if the Bears are looking for a leader of men type of guy, I think Flores could be the right guy. We would have to hire a good OC to help develop Fields, which may be the only downside of this hire. However, if Flores can utilize the talent left by now former GM Ryan Pace, then he could bring this team back to contender status.
Brian Flores
The Bears Have Fired GM Ryan Pace
January 10, 2022, 8:50 AM CST
GM Ryan Pace was not safe after all. He has been fired along with Matt Nagy this morning.
Many expected Pace’s job to be safe, with a possible “promotion” to President of Football Ops. However, the Bears have decided to go in a different direction, electing to relieve Pace of his duties and will begin the search for a new GM.
Pace went 48-65 in his tenure since taking over for Phil Emery in 2015. He only brought the Bears to one winning season in seven years with only two playoff appearances. He had some draft successes, some free agent successes, but also had his fair share of failures, like Kevin White and Mike Glennon. Hopefully the Bears hire somebody who can better manage the cap while also keeping up the draft successes.
Now former Bears GM Ryan Pace
The Bears Have Fired Head Coach Matt Nagy
January 10, 2022, 8:28 AM CST
The Bears have fired Head Coach Matt Nagy following a 6-11 season.
Nagy went 34-33 in his tenure (including postseason) but failed to reach the 12-4 place the team achieved in his first season at the helm. Nagy won Coach of the Year that season (2018). He made the playoffs twice (2018, 2020) but failed to win a game.
The Bears will now begin the search for Nagy’s replacement. Hopefully the next coach will have a mor consistent track record than Nagy. I wish Nagy the best, the players liked him as a coach and I expect him to get another chance in the league.
Now former Bears HC Matt Nagy