The warning signs have been there for weeks. As losses began to pile up, players in the Chicago Bears locker room were losing their patience with the coaching staff. Guys were speaking out about issues at practice, a lack of accountability, or attention to detail. It was hard not to feel like most of this frustration was directed at head coach Matt Eberflus. That is likely why he fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. It was a desperate measure to ease some of the heat. Well, it didn’t seem to work for long. Jaylon Johnson made sure of that.
The star Bears cornerback has been around since 2020. In that time, he has never experienced a winning season in Chicago. He is tired of it. He signed a lucrative contract extension, hoping this year would be the breakthrough. Instead, the team squandered a 4-2 start to reach 4-7 with their playoff hopes all but dead. Johnson vented this anger on 670 The Score, making sure to indicate he doesn’t believe talent is the problem with this team. It has more than enough to win.
He wasn’t exactly subtle with the implications.
“I would say in 2022, we had a terrible roster. I mean, we didn’t have a whole bunch of guys that made a name for themselves, that proved themselves. Honestly, that was probably the time where it’s like, ‘OK, we’re not really built to win right now.’ But I feel like the team that we have right now, we’re built to win right now. I don’t think it’s something where it’s, ‘OK, we got to come in and get the right guys in the building.’ For the most part, as far as the locker room goes, we have the right guys. We have enough to be able to win right now and to be a playoff team again. We just haven’t put it all together, top to bottom, as far as being able to execute, be put in the right positions, just really all of it.”
Teammate Jaquan Brisker echoed similar feelings on Twitter (X).
Jaylon Johnson is echoing the locker room.
Here’s the thing. Players aren’t stupid. They see all the same things the fans see at home. They saw Eberflus’ soft coverage call the play before the Hail Mary in Washington and then fail to call a timeout when Tyrique Stevenson wasn’t paying attention. They saw the blocked field goal against Green Bay and more soft coverage calls in overtime against Minnesota. The head coach is playing a central role in why the Bears keep losing close games. Being 5-18 in one-score games is not normal. It is the sign of somebody who wilts under pressure.
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Players lose respect for such men before too long. Jaylon Johnson appears to have reached that breaking point with Eberflus. He may not have mentioned the Bears head coach by name, but the comments were easy to decipher. If talent isn’t the problem with this team, there’s only one other place you can point the finger. Eberflus has the longest losing streak in franchise history and is three games away from tying for the second-longest losing streak. Enough is enough.
@BearDownTX I don’t recall thinking Barkley was ever considering Chicago. I simply said he is great. Philadelphia has structured their salary roster in a way that they could pay him. But they also have created a “win now” team and Barkley is perfect for that team the way Derrick Henry works for Baltimore. Chicago is a few coaches away from needing to acquire any free agent. Poles acquired free agents at costs that are wasteful but then doesn’t have coaches who can coach or put them in positions to succeed. Maybe they have someone in Brown now, but they have… Read more »
@PoochPest and @Veece, Do you all have no memory or just don’t care to remember certain facts? Barkley wasn’t signing with the Bears. He had a very short list of teams, and Philly was at the top of his list. Monty was offered a contract by the Bears, and it was basically the same one Detroit offered, but he saw that it was a rebuild in Chicago and chose to go elsewhere.
@Veece The Bears could have signed David Montgomery. Barkley is great. When he’s on the field, but when he is injured, the entire team falls apart. A team with a Barkley, Henry or Mahomes can go all the way, but so can a team with Montgomery and Goff. A key to coaching is the awareness to manage the sharpness and health of all your players, to trust the back-ups and coach them to move in, in an emergency. Bears coaches are used to the idea of stars and durability, but the coaches actually can MAKE stars, and sustain the players… Read more »
@Veece: The Bears had no chance of signing Barkley. Saquon wanted to return to his home area, and the team he rooted for as a kid. Bears would have had to beat the Eagles offer by a lot to get him.
@Bear_Down I thought of that option as well, however I don’t think that Cunningham would want to stay with the Bears if they were too fire Poles. They are really close and Poles seeked out Ian to be his Assistant. I may be wrong, and hope I am if Poles gets fired. I would be fine with Ian as our GM, however I’m not sure he would want to vs taking over another team.