The Chicago Bears have decided to fire Luke Getsy and other offensive staff members, including quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. The move was not surprising, but after three days of waiting, it was finally something concrete to react to. The status of Matt Eberflus, Justin Fields, and Luke Getsy were all up in the air as of this morning. With the news of Getsy being let go, what does that mean for Matt Eberflus?
The Chicago Bears will give Matt Eberflus another chance as head coach
It is likely good news for him to keep his job. The Bears' defense has been improving, while the offense has struggled throughout the year. It appears as though the Chicago Bears are going to credit Eberflus for the turnaround on defense while understanding that if he can get an improved offensive coordinator, the team will be just fine.
This makes sense on some levels but also feels short-sighted. When Eberflus was hired, he said that he would be the CEO of the team. So, the entire thing would fall on him. The failing of the offensive coordinator is still an Eberflus problem.
Beyond that, he has not shown to be good in-game management and has blown many leads due to a strategy that goes beyond just offensive playcalling.
The other reason this is an issue is because it makes it sound like getting the right offensive coordinator will be easy. They will have to find the right fit for their next quarterback, and they have to do that soon. They cannot hire someone specifically for Fields and then draft a quarterback, and if they add a pass-first coordinator, you know Fields is gone. So, they are limiting who they hire based on a decision they have to make months from now.
More than that, that hire has to come in with an understanding of how Eberflus does things. It has to be a perfect fit. They are threading a tight needle when they could have just re-did the entire coaching staff along with the new quarterback. Does this mean that they will hire someone more specific to Justin Fields, and then they are not starting all the way over? Time will tell.