As the Bears sit at 1-2 following an embarrassing loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the patience of the fans is starting to wear thin.
Shane Waldron has taken most of the blame for the Bears' struggles to open the season. If one is looking to excuse Waldron's scheme, they may point the finger at a porous offensive line that was constructed by general manager Ryan Poles.
Poles doubled down on his construction of the offensive line this season, saying it's the deepest the unit has ever been during his tenure. But after three weeks, the unit looks out of sync despite spending the entire off-season installing a new system.
While fans are criticizing Poles for not doing enough to shore up the offensive line, Poles seems to think otherwise
#ChicagoBears GM Poles to @ESPN1000 PreGame Show: OLine communication, technique and fundamentals have lead to a "rough" performance, rather than "bad talent". #CHIvsIND
— Peggy Kusinski (@peggykusinski) September 22, 2024
Chicago Bears' next three games will determine the direction of the season.
Poles has done a lot of good things for the Bears. No one is advocating for him to be fired, at least not yet. But the criticism towards him is getting louder than ever. His loyalty to Eberflus has many fans frustrated, as he made bad clock management, and no one is buying his optimistic tone following the loss to the Colts. His 11-26 coaching record is also Poles' record as the GM.
Both Poles and Eberflus went to great lengths, interviewing many candidates before hiring Waldron this off-season. It was a collaborative effort by both. Yet this offense looks no better than the one run by Luke Getsy? Did the Bears really hire a new guy only to run the same system that failed? This is an organizational problem that runs deeper. They already failed with Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields, and now they are repeating the same mistakes with Caleb Williams.
With optimism waning quickly, the next three games will make or break the 2024 Bears. The Bears have winnable games in their next three contests--facing the Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. If the Bears struggle to get right in those three games, Poles' last trump card may be finding a different head coach.