Matt Eberflus took full responsibility for the Chicago Bears’ struggles on offense.
He acknowledged that he is now on his third offensive play-caller in just 2 1/2 seasons as head coach, after firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron for the second time in 10 months.
Eberflus let Waldron go this week and promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, hoping that Brown can fix the issues and help rookie quarterback Caleb Williams reach his potential.
“I take full accountability for that,” Eberflus said Wednesday, a day after the Bears announced the change. “I take full responsibility for that, and it’s got to get better. It’s gotta get better. The details of creativity have to improve and it’s got to improve this week.”
Waldron lasted only nine games after being hired in January to replace Luke Getsy, who was fired last season. Brown now takes over an offense that is among the worst in the NFL.
The Bears are averaging fewer yards per game than only two teams, with New England being one of them. The Patriots defeated the Bears 19-3 on Sunday at Soldier Field.
“I’m not really looking into quick fixes,” Brown said. “I want long-term solutions to kind of get us going in the right direction. The goal again is to have success and have success immediately. I’m not doing anything to be a loser or have a loser’s mentality. My players don’t either.”
Williams was optimistic about how the offense might perform under Brown’s play-calling.
“I think we’ll do a good job of marrying everything up together, making everything look the same,” Williams said. “And then from there, you’ll get a few easier passes, a few extra layups. I think it’ll help us in the run game.
I think it’ll help us in the pass game being able to do that. And then, I think from there it provides a little bit more explosiveness for us as an offense.”
The Bears have failed to score a touchdown in back-to-back games for the first time since 2004. They have now gone 23 consecutive possessions without a touchdown, since they scored in the final minute of their Week 8 loss to Washington, when they were beaten on a Hail Mary pass from Jayden Daniels.
In the three games since their bye week, the Bears have scored just two touchdowns on 34 drives. Before the bye, they had won three games in a row, and the offense, led by Williams, had seemed to be gaining momentum, even if against weaker teams.
Players expressed frustration with the offense to Eberflus, but he made it clear that they didn’t demand Waldron’s firing.
“I don’t think anybody really asked for (Waldron) to be gone,” said receiver DJ Moore. “We expressed our frustration, but never to have somebody’s livelihood taken away. I mean, it’s hard, but on to Thomas, and we got his back.”
Brown had previously interviewed for the offensive coordinator job that went to Waldron, and now he is in a familiar position of taking over play-calling duties during the season, with the added pressure of working with a No. 1 overall pick at quarterback.
Last season, Brown was the offensive coordinator for Carolina, where he took over the play-calling duties from head coach Frank Reich, who eventually resumed those duties before he was fired after the Panthers started 1-10 and rookie quarterback Bryce Young struggled.
Now, Brown is working with Williams, who had shown some progress earlier in the season but has struggled during the Bears’ recent skid. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner was sacked nine times against New England and admitted that he has sometimes held onto the ball too long.
“I took a few sacks that I shouldn’t have,” Williams said. “I think that getting back to getting the ball out of my hands, being decisive is really important. That needs to start now.”
As for Waldron’s firing, Williams said, “I don’t get to choose the decisions, nor do I get to choose whether the decision is good, bad or indifferent. My job is to listen and from there go do my job.”
