“I wanna say no.” Those were the words of D.J. Moore earlier this week when he was asked on live radio whether he felt head coach Matt Eberflus lost the locker room. It wasn’t a yes, but it also was far from a no. That was the first huge red flag that something wasn’t right at Halas Hall. Moments after the Chicago Bears were soundly beaten 19-3 at home on Sunday, it happened again. This time, it was safety Kevin Byard, one of Eberflus’ chief free agent additions, who did little to deflect the question.
He was asked the same thing in the locker room. This time, he didn’t even bother saying no. Instead, Byard elected to avoid answering altogether.
“I’m not gonna go there.”
Again, not a no. Players understand how bad it would look if they just said yes. The best thing they can do in these situations is avoid the question without outright lying. That is exactly what Byard just did. The fact players aren’t coming to Eberflus’ defense speaks volumes.
Kevin Byard is yet another team leader saying this.
It isn’t a disgruntled fringe player on backup duty. This guy was voted a captain, just like Moore. For him to not even make an effort to protect his head coach from the growing calls for his job says everything. Remember, there is a popular saying in the NFL. “The players know.” If it is evident to fans and media that Eberflus isn’t a good coach, rest assured the players know it, too. You can always tell from the body language, lacking attention to detail, and overall moderate-to-poor effort. The Bears have scored 12 points across the past two weeks. There is no sense of identity or belief in that locker room. When that happens, the team is done for. Eberflus has almost no chance of getting it back at this point. Kevin Byard and others have mentally checked out. The only thing left is the inevitable end.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
