I laughed. I audibly laughed.
I mean, I’m sure plenty of fans were upset. They were angry. They were dejected.
But me? Yup, I laughed.
Matt Eberflus was the problem, just ask the players.
For ten days, all we heard was players certainly hinting at that idea. When you asked them about Thomas Brown, they lit up. He was no-nonsense. He was going to hold everyone accountable. They clearly were going to play hard for Thomas Brown. Who knows if they were going to win on the road against the [San Francisco 49ers](https://www.ninersnation.com/), but they were going to bust their ass for this man.
If that was a strong effort, then I’m Mr. Universe. That locker room should be embarrassed and it’s concerning that they might not be.
Look, we said it in last week’s column, elevating Thomas Brown to the interim head coach was the right move, but it was also most likely going to be a move that failed. He almost certainly wasn’t going to be ready. The man was a Passing Game Coordinator just over a month ago. But it was worth taking a look at him because the Bears were almost certainly going to interview him for their head coaching position in January.
Clearly, it’s going to fail. The fact that this game is now on his “tryout” means he’s going to have to move heaven and Earth to get this job at this point. He’s going to have to win out, and Caleb Williams is going to have to play like a top-ten quarterback the rest of the way.
That’s not going to happen, it’s pretty clear. Brown was outcoached. Sadly, the [Chicago Bears](https://www.windycitygridiron.com/)’ defense also missed Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator. Kyle Shanahan had his was with Brown and his staff. The Bears will move on from this group in January.
But Brown wasn’t what was alarming on Sunday. The roster was what was alarming. A roster constructed by Ryan Poles.
For two years, Ryan Poles has preached about the culture he was creating. Matt Eberflus was helping cultivate that. Once it was clear that Eberflus wasn’t helping, you would think a team of veteran leaders would have rallied the locker room. They didn’t. They checked out.
That lopsided loss is completely on the players. The blocking effort was weak. Defensive players weren’t rallying to tackle. The linebackers let George Kittle run free in the middle of the field. Wide receivers ran the wrong routes. The effort was, quite frankly, pathetic.
We can look collectively at the roster, but I think it’s easier to look at Ryan Poles. These are his players. This is his roster. This is his “culture.” Perhaps this team just needs an ass-kicking head coach to get them all to listen.
But I turn to Jim Halpert from _The Office_. Halpert once said in an episode, when their supervisor was MIA, that as it turns out, adults will just show up and do their work without a supervisor.
The Bears’ players clearly aren’t adults because they don’t show up and do their jobs without someone telling them what to do.
That’s not team leadership.
I know Kevin Warren said that Ryan Poles would lead the search for a new head coach, and I’m not saying destabilizing the entire football operations department around Caleb Williams is a good idea, but it’s time to take a good, hard look at Ryan Poles and the roster he’s built.
Let’s go back to Ryan Pace. Pace did a great job of finding solid players. Several of them were above average, and quite a few were red chippers, how many blue chippers did he draft? How many true difference-makers did Pace draft? None on offense (Cole Kmet is probably his best). What about defensively? Roquan Smith? Eddie Jackson? Jayloln Johnson? Jackson’s blue-chip status was short-lived. Johnson’s blue-chip status began after Pace was gone. Poles decided Smith wasn’t a fit and dealt him.
Through three drafts, what blue-chippers have Poles found? Sure, development isn’t finished and you can’t pass judgment on Williams or Rome Odunze at this point, but Darnell Wright is looking to be a solid tackle, but not a blue chip. Same with Gervon Dexter. Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker do some excellent things on the field, but they have holes in their game that hold them back from blue-chip status. Of his veteran acquisitions, Montez Sweat is a red chipper, and DJ Moore is a red chipper (when he wants to be). Keenan Allen is still useful but isn’t a true difference-maker at this point.
What players have Ryan Poles brought in that you can confidently say are blue-chip players? The answer is none. The only one that qualifies is Jaylon Johnson and he was drafted by Pace. In fact, during contract negotiations, Poles made it clear that he would have traded Johnson if he could have gotten a late 1 or perhaps an early 2. His. Best. Player.
So we have just about concluded the third year of the Ryan Poles regime. He’s acquired some good players and flagrantly ignored critical position groups like the offensive line, but he’s created a roster with very little top-end talent.
Now we will enter a 2025 season that will arguably be _the_ make-or-break season of the Poles regime. He must get the head coach hire correctly. He must make sure he supports Caleb Williams so he takes significant strides forward next season. He must make sure the offensive line is above average. He must find a way to add top-end talent (or develop it).
That’s a tall order to do in less than one year, but that’s where Ryan Poles is at this point in his regime. His third season has been a debacle. Phil Emery’s third season was a debacle and he lost his job. Ryan Pace’s third season was a debacle and John Fox couldn’t survive. Now Ryan Poles’ third season is much like his previous two predecessors.
Poles’ 3rd season is a dance we’ve seen before. Firing a head coach after a QB’s rookie season is a dance we’ve seen before.
Ryan Poles told the media he was here to break cycles, but so far, all he’s doing is repeating them.