Thomas Brown had less than a week to prepare after Shane Waldron was fired as offensive coordinator. Despite that, he still managed to produce a game plan that had Caleb Williams post his most efficient game of the season, the team rush for over 170 yards, and go 9-of-16 on third down. It was night and day compared to the previous three weeks. That led to people asking the obvious question. What in the world would have convinced the Bears that Waldron was the right guy for the job if it had become clear he wasn’t this fast?
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune added a new layer to the situation. He believes there is a strong possible Trace Armstrong, the prominent NFL agent who represents several coaches, likely played a crucial role in that. How? It turns out he represents both Waldron and Matt Eberflus. Apparently, those things have mattered to the Bears in the past.
In the fallout and examination of where Matt Eberflus went wrong in choosing Waldron as the replacement for Luke Getsy, there are a lot of directions you can go. Waldron was one of nine candidates the Bears interviewed for the job. From that respect, it wasn’t a hasty and rushed process. Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles flew all over the country meeting with candidates.
Waldron was the only option invited for a second interview, for which he came to Halas Hall before being hired. The fact that Waldron is also a client of powerful agent Trace Armstrong, the former Bears defensive end, is one factor worth examining. The Bears have a history of having the head coach and offensive coordinator represented by the same agent.
Shane Waldron is the latest plague visited by Trace Armstrong.
While he might be a former Bear, the man has terrorized the organization with his horrible clients for years. He was also Matt Nagy’s agent. The team’s willingness to keep leaning on him for advice has led them directly down the sewage pipe. You’d think somebody in the organization would’ve picked up on it. Maybe the Shane Waldron disaster might wake them up to the realization that Armstrong may not have the sharpest eye for coaching talent. The problem is if Ryan Poles stays in charge, it may be more of the same. He is also an Armstrong client. If that isn’t cause for a complete housecleaning, nothing is. The Bears have seven more games before they have to make a decision. Losing his phone number should be priority #1. That client list is radioactive.
