Bair Mail: On Matt Eberflus, NFL trade deadline, Tyrique Stevenson and more
We’ve now entered as important a practice week as the Bears will experience all season. They’re fresh off a brutal, last-second loss to Washington that will live forever in the memory banks.
The Bears must rebound quickly and continue banking wins and increasing margin for errors when they reach a late-season gauntlet starting in Week 10 that includes six division games, the 49ers and Seahawks in eight contests.
RELATED CONTENT:
- What came of ‘grown-man talk’ in Bears captain’s meeting with Matt Eberflus after loss in Washington
- What Matt Eberflus said about possible consequences for Tyrique Stevenson
- Tyrique Stevenson apologizes after apparently taunting fans during fateful Hail Mary
- What Jaylon Johnson, Bears defenders said about decisive Hail Mary
We’re at a point where the Bears need to beat Arizona and New England and enter that stretch at 6-3. That gives the Bears a fair shot to finish strong and contend for a playoff spot.
Can head coach Matt Eberflus get them there? Some of you have doubts. Let’s address that and some other hot topics in this Wednesday Bair Mail.
How many more winnable games do the Bears have to lose before (GM Ryan) Poles fires Eberflus? (Lord of the low frequency on Instagram)
Matt Eberflus is under contract through the 2025 season. While some are stating he’s on the hot seat, I can’t see a scenario where the Bears would let him go during the season.
That’s not how they roll.
If the season ends as an abject failure, there’s a prospect of moving on from him after the season’s over. I believe Ryan Poles is trying to build a stable foundation for young quarterback Caleb Williams, without a lot of moving parts or schematic changes. That’s how organizations can get talented passers in trouble.
Eberflus played a part in how the Bears lost, with some suspect coaching decisions that he defended after the fact. That said, he has gotten great buy-in from the players since the offseason program began, though results always dictate whether that remains.
Jaylon Johnson was asked about belief in the head coach on Wednesday and had this to say:
“I mean, I feel like that is, quite honestly, part of the job,” the cornerback said. “You would think, I mean shit, as long as somebody is your head coach I mean the same thing, in a sense with the quarterback situation when everybody asked, ‘Are you behind Justin? He is our quarterback. He is who we are going with.’ But I mean whoever is in that position, whoever is in our locker room, whoever is our coaches are, that is who we believe in. That’s who we trust to lead us to a championship.”
Could the Bears be buyers at the NFL trade deadline? (Brett Busic on Twitter)
The Bears have the assets required to make a bold move, but that doesn’t mean they will a lot of it could depend on offensive line health. Renting a vet may be required if Braxton Jones will be out a while – the Vikings just did something similar – and that could stabilize things up front.
A pass rusher could also be in play, but those guys aren’t cheap in terms of contractual obligations and what it’ll cost to get them.
General manager Ryan Poles isn’t afraid to deal, so it’s always a possibility. That’s especially true if the Bears lose in Arizona and believe they can still make a late season run.
There’s always a cost-benefit analysis to be made in these situations, and it’s about what’s needed and how bad you need it.
Should there be a consequence for what Tyrique Stevenson did? (Jesse Dowden from Twitter)
That’s a tough one. Head coach Matt Eberflus didn’t address it directly during his Wednesday press conference, and he wouldn’t say whether Stevenson would start or not.
My gut says the Bears are moving on. They know they need him at his best and in the moment versus the Cardinals. Stevenson is a really good player. He plays right on the edge from an emotional standpoint, and occasionally goes over it and gets himself in trouble.
Having Terrell Smith start the game and play a series with the first unit – he did so in the first half of the Commanders game – would send a message and probably wouldn’t hurt the team that much. Or the Bears could push forward without anything happening.
Eberflus didn’t tip his hand on Wednesday, so it’s ultimately uncertain what will happen.
How much did the play before the Fail Mary impact the outcome? (Nick Cullen from Instagram)
It was massive. Don’t believe it was inconsequential as some have said. Trust Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who said that 13-yard completion to Terry McLaurin was vital to completing the Hail Mary and that, without it, the Commanders were “out of gas.”
I’ve watching that play over and again, as many times as I’ve watched the Hail Mary itself. It is baffling to see that it wasn’t even defended. There was no way Washington would’ve changed their play had the Bears pressed at that point. Jayden Daniels couldn’t have thrown it far enough.
Safety Kevin Byard III agrees with me. He said he questioned Eberflus about that play call after the fact as well. It was monumental. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.