In the absence of enough information, it is difficult not to take make an educated guess about what the Chicago Bears might be planning. It has been 10 days since they fired GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. Thus far they have interviewed ten candidates for the general manager job and five candidates for head coach. In that time, only one person has received an invitation back for a second meeting.
This indicates the process is moving slow and methodically. The Bears aren’t going to be rushed into a decision until they’ve collected the data they want. Then something like the latest news update on Thursday happens. It started innocently enough. Albert Breer of the MMQB indicated that Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the man who is getting that second interview, was set up for a meeting on Monday the 24th.
Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is set to have his second interview for the Bears head coaching job on Monday in the Chicago area, per source. As @TomPelissero said the other day, he's the first known finalist.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 20, 2022
Fair enough. Nothing too significant to report.
However, that changed when Ian Rapoport of NFL Network chimed in with an update of his own. It turns out the Bears will also be holding a GM interview that same day with Morocco Brown. This is significant for two reasons. Brown has deep ties to the organization, having worked in Chicago from 2001 to 2007, and also has deep ties to Eberflus. The two have worked together in Indianapolis over the past four years.
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The #Bears GM interviews will stretch into next week, with #Colts college scouting director Morocco Brown expected to interview with the team’s brass on Monday, source said. His work in Indy scouting college players alongside GM Chris Ballard is well-documented.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2022
It is almost impossible not to connect the dots from there. Two candidates from the same organization who know each other well both interviewing on the same day. Keeping in mind that the man running the Bears’ search, Bill Polian, has strong ties to the Colts organization. Everything lines up to suggest that might be the pairing the team is looking at as their head GM and head coach combination. There are too many coincidences to ignore.
That said, it doesn’t feel like the Chicago Bears are there yet
Why? Namely because Eberflus is the only candidate of either variety to get a second interview. Monday will be Brown’s first with the organization, even if it’s in person. It seems rather unlikely the Bears wouldn’t at least bring in some other GM and head coach hopefuls for second meetings as well. Then again trusting this organization to do things based in logic hasn’t been the best idea for the past several years.
George McCaskey entrusted this search to Polian. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if the team chairman accepted the idea of an Eberflus/Brown pairing. The coach embodies much of the tough, defensive mindset that seems to have success in this city. A Lovie Smith-type. Brown knows the organization and appears to have the personality Chicago Bears ownership would love. Not to mention both men have solid track records at what they do.
Even if a lot of fans may not like the idea.
The truth is nobody knows for sure what the Bears are thinking. Reports surfacing over the past several days still don’t offer a clear picture. One insider says they’re smitten with Brian Flores. Yet they’re bringing in Eberflus for a second interview. There is even less known about the GM situation. The odds are pretty strong that this entire search won’t be resolved next Monday.
