The Denver Broncos knew something wasn’t right. Their team had talent, at least on paper. Yet it was playing as if it were actively trying to tank. Injuries weren’t bad. The only other explanation was the head coach. Nathaniel Hackett had come over from Green Bay, promising he’d have their chronic offensive woes fixed. Instead, he seemed to make them worse. After 15 games of misery, ownership decided it had seen enough. Hackett was fired. The decision was made to find somebody with more proven experience. Denver hired Sean Payton the following off-season. After a rough 0-3 start, the Broncos have now won four of their last six, with big wins over Kansas City and Buffalo. The move for Payton is paying off huge. This could serve as a lesson for the Chicago Bears regarding Matt Eberflus.
Too often, teams are urged to have patience in situations like this. Sometimes, it takes a coach a little more time to figure things out. Three years is the generally accepted time to get a team on track. However, when progress isn’t seen in the first two years, it doesn’t show up in year three either. Eberflus hasn’t shown anything through his first 27 games to suggest he has the right qualities of a good head coach. His in-game management is mediocre at best. His defense remains vulnerable in too many key situations, and he’s done nothing to indicate he has what it takes to develop a young quarterback.
Matt Eberflus doesn’t deserve more time when proven options exist.
While there isn’t anybody with the same clout as Payton, there are coaches out there who should be available and have the credibility to turn struggling teams into winners. Jim Harbaugh is the obvious one. His situation in Michigan appears shaky at the moment despite having the program aiming at a national championship. It’s been well-documented that he wants to return to the NFL. Dan Quinn is dominating as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and had lots of success in Atlanta as a head coach. Brian Flores had a winning record in his final two years at Miami before he was unceremoniously fired in 2022.
Passing the eye test is vital for a head coach. Matt Eberflus has not done that. He preached his H.I.T.S philosophy at every turn, but the Bears aren’t reflecting it on the field. They play way too undisciplined, turn the ball over too much and don’t take it away enough, and don’t always showcase the intensity he calls for. When the head coach can’t consistently implement his core philosophies, that is a red flag. To say nothing of Eberflus’ inability to finish games and how often he gets outcoached.
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While the results may not end up the same, Denver is showing the Bears that it’s okay to buck the status quo for something new, even if it’s ahead of the usual timeline.
