Tag: Alan Williams

Matt Eberflus hints at bringing in outside staff to help with Bears defense

Matt Eberflus said they’re “having conversations” about possibly bringing in outside coaches and staff to help with the Bears defense.

The Chicago Bears are entering their first extended break of the 2023 season after a decisive 40-20 victory over the Washington Commanders, and it could be a golden opportunity for head coach Matt Eberflus to bring in some help for his coaching staff.

Eberflus met with the media on Friday afternoon and was asked about the possibility of bringing in someone from the outside to help on the staff, specifically the defense. Eberflus gave a non-committal answer but left the door open so that such a move could be made. “Yeah, we’re having conversations on that,” Eberflus said when asked if they were considering looking at bringing in help for the defensive staff during the break. “If it works, if it’s right for us, that’s great. If it doesn’t, then it will be what it is. But we’re still looking at it; we have an open mind. There’s nothing wrong with bringing somebody in who can help that has a different perspective.”

Eberflus was also asked if he was still planning on calling defensive plays, and while he said it was the plan, that’s also up in the air depending on what happens over the next week or so. “We’ll see where it is. Right now, my plan is to do that. We’ll see where it goes.”

The Bears have been without a defensive coordinator for their last four games after Alan Williams missed their Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and resigned a few days later. Eberflus has been calling the plays since then, but he left the door open for help from someone on the outside.

An obvious candidate to come in is Rod Marinelli, the former Bears defensive coordinator who worked with Eberflus during their days with the Dallas Cowboys. Marinelli last coached with the Las Vegas Raiders from 2020–2021.

A Bears timeline of everything that’s gone wrong in the 2023 season (so far)

Breaking down all the mayhem of the Bears’ nightmare season to this point.

Over the last three decades, the Chicago Bears have been one of the NFL’s worst teams. They’ve won a total of four playoff games since 1994 and have just nine winning seasons in that same time span. Based on the sheer pandemonium the latest iteration has already faced, the 2023 Bears are somehow shaping up to enjoy the worst year of them all.

Below, you will find a timeline of everything that’s gone wrong for the Bears during this extremely young season. We haven’t even seen three games, and it feels like this franchise is about to be swallowed up by a massive sinkhole. Nothing is going right. Everything is broken. None of it is normal. And it doesn’t seem like anyone in a leadership position has solutions to right the ship.

Take a (very) deep breath, and let’s dive in.

New details emerge about former Bears DC Alan Williams’ resignation

ESPN’s Adam Schefter debunked rumors that former Bears DC Alan Williams’ resignation dealt with illegal activities.

There’s been a lot of speculation, rumors and uncertainty surrounding the resignation of former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who officially stepped away last Wednesday.

While the Bears have remained mum about the circumstances surrounding his exit, ESPN insider Adam Schefter revealed some new details about Williams. According to Schefter, Williams didn’t resign for anything illegal. But it was inappropriate and Bears Human Resources did get involved.

“I’m told it was not criminal activity, but it was inappropriate,” Schefter said, “and the Bears’ HR department was involved in the decision for Alan Williams to step aside.”

In Williams’ official statement, he cited stepping back “to take care of my health and family.”

Schefter confirmed head coach Matt Eberflus will take over defensive play calling for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, as he did last week in Williams’ absence against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

More than $100K of maintenance equipment stolen from Soldier Field

What else could go wrong for the Bears this week?

The hits keep on coming for the Chicago Bears this week. According to a manager at Soldier Field, approximately $100,000 worth of equipment was stolen sometime Wednesday night. The news was first reported by ABC7 Chicago.

The manager said the stolen equipment includes John Deere Gator utility vehicles and lawnmowers used to prepare the field. The equipment was taken from one of the parking structures at the stadium, and the thieves took down a security fence to drive the mowers and Gators out of the garage. According to ESPN, the equipment was the property of a contractor and not the Bears. The equipment has yet to be located.

The Bears haven’t played at Soldier Field since their Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 10. They’re playing another away game this week when they take on the Kansas City Chiefs, so fortunately the stolen equipment won’t make an impact. They return to the lakefront next week to take on the Denver Broncos.

It’s just another odd story to add to the growing list of issues facing the Bears this week. After their Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago has been in the media for everything under the sun. First there were comments made by Justin Fields regarding the coaching staff that gained traction. Then there was the sudden resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams, about which nobody at Halas Hall can speak. And now equipment has been stolen at the stadium.

What else can go wrong for the Bears this week? We probably shouldn’t ask that because, at this point, anything can happen.

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles claims his dysfunctional, winless team isn’t panicking

Says the man who called an emergency Week 3 press conference.

The Chicago Bears lost their first two games of the 2023 season in embarrassing fashion. In Week 1, they were humbled by the rival Green Bay Packers. In Week 2, a discombobulated offense wilted at the worst possible time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And all the while, the Bears have seemingly only been interested in actively fanning the flames of their rampant dysfunction.

On Wednesday, they put their starting left tackle (Braxton Jones) on injured reserve. It was a massive news dump in the context of a day that also saw Justin Fields create controversy with a “coaching” comment and former defensive coordinator Alan Williams resign. At the risk of hyperbole, it was undoubtedly one of the more chaotic days in recent franchise history.

Naturally, after such a firestorm, it behooved someone from the Bears’ front office to speak up and address their current mess. In this case, it was general manager Ryan Poles speaking at the lectern Thursday. He professed that despite all the madness surrounding the winless Bears, they’re not panicking. Not at all. Not one bit.

Hmm, I don’t believe that for one second!

Folks, in case it isn’t clear, most NFL GMs aren’t speaking to the media on a random Thursday in September. They usually speak at the start of training camp and have a few offseason check-ins, at most. For Poles to come out with a verbal fire extinguisher this early in the season is the very definition of panic. It is Leslie Nielsen standing in front of an explosion, asking everyone to please disperse calmly.

Kudos to Poles for trying to step up as a leader, but actions speak so much louder than words.

Bears GM Ryan Poles: ‘No one in our building is panicking’

Bears general manager Ryan Poles addressed Justin Fields comments, Alan Williams’ resignation, and the state of the team on Thursday.

The Chicago Bears experienced one of the wildest days in recent memory at Halas Hall on Wednesday and general manager Ryan Poles is trying to steady the ship. Poles held an impromptu press conference with the media on Thursday to address the status of the team after the string of news and rumors that took over social media the day before.

On Wednesday, quarterback Justin Fields had strong comments about his early season struggles and how coaching has impacted his play. Fields walked those comments back and wanted to make it clear the blame lies with him. While that was happening, rumors swirled about (now) former defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who resigned from his position yesterday citing health reasons. Williams had been away from the team dealing with a personal matter.

With the rampant rumors and noise that’s permeated across sports stations and social media, Poles decided to address them and assure everyone that no one is panicking after their 0-2 start.

“To be really clear, I know there’s outside noise but no one in our building is panicking,” Poles said via 670 The Score’s Chris Emma. “Nobody is flinching at any situations. Not our owner. Not our president. Not our head coach. Not myself. None of our players. Everybody is focusing on solving the issues we have so we can become a better football team.”

The Bears general manager also took time to address Fields’ comments and isn’t worried about the quarterback pointing the finger at anyone.

“The guy has been successful the moment he stepped into high school football. So, he’s dealing with adversity and dealing with taking his game to the next level through many different situations and change,” Poles explained via Emma. “I think that’s where you get the frustration from. I thought he took ownership of everything. He didn’t have to say anything about that. Our coaches are like, ‘How can we make you better? How can we help you be successful?’ And there’s always that balance. No one took it personally.”

As far as the situation regarding Williams, Poles wasn’t ready to divulge much information but said Halas Hall was not part of an FBI raid, despite social media rumors. Poles is also not ready to name a defensive coordinator yet, but that should come next week via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Overall, Poles didn’t say anything groundbreaking during Thursday’s media session, but it was important that someone address everything that has gone on. To have so much noise come out of a team’s facility in a matter of hours is rare, especially so early in the season. The Bears can get things back on track, but they will need to get past the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs first, Poles’ former team. The Bears and Chiefs kick off on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT.

5 things to know ahead of Bears vs. Chiefs in Week 3

From Ryan Poles and Matt Nagy facing their former teams to series history, here’s what to know ahead of the Bears’ Week 3 game vs. Chiefs.

It’s been an interesting week for the Chicago Bears at Halas Hall ahead of their Week 3 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Quarterback Justin Fields admitted he felt that he’s being overcoached and he’ll try to play to his strengths more in Sunday’s game, head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed that starting left tackle Braxton Jones has been placed on injured reserve with no clear timetable for his return and defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned from his position to address his health.

As nightmarish as these last few days have been for Chicago, it may do some good to look ahead to Week 3 ‘s matchup between the Bears and Chiefs.

Here are five things to know heading into Bears vs. Chiefs in Week 3.

Recapping a wacky Wednesday for the Bears at Halas Hall

Here’s everything that happened with the Bears on a crazy Wednesday at Halas Hall.

It was quite an eventful day for the Chicago Bears at Halas Hall on Wednesday, where a season’s worth of headlines seemed to cram itself into one week.

Whether it was roster moves, a surprise resignation or Justin Fields making headlines for all the wrong reasons, the Bears were the focus of the NFL world on Wednesday. It was like watching a dumpster fire — you simply couldn’t look away, waiting for the next thing to happen.

In case you missed the action, here’s a breakdown of everything that went down at Halas Hall on an eventful Wednesday:

Bear Necessities: What the heck happened at Halas Hall on Wednesday?

It was an eventful day for the Bears at Halas Hall yesterday. We recap Wednesday’s headlines.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

What’s the latest with the Chicago Bears?

It was quite an eventful day at Halas Hall on Wednesday, which featured some big news and noteworthy moves. Alan Williams resigned as Bears defensive coordinator, Justin Fields took a jab at the coaches, left tackle Braxton Jones landed on injured reserve and the team released Nathan Peterman. All on Ryan Poles’ birthday, mind you.

Here’s a look at the most recent and relevant Bears stories for the morning of Sept. 21.

NFL Twitter reacts to Bears DC Alan Williams resigning

What the heck is going on with the Bears?

Alan Williams resigned as the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, the team announced Wednesday.

In a statement, Williams said he’s stepping back “to take care of my health and family.” Although, there have been multiple reports — including from Brad Biggs and Albert Breer — that indicate Williams’ resignation might not be health related at all.

For now, all we know is Williams no longer is the Bears’ defensive coordinator and his statement indicates it’s due to health and family issues.

Williams did not travel with the Bears to Tampa last week due to personal reasons. Head coach Matt Eberflus called defensive plays in his absence. Earlier on Wednesday, Eberflus remained mum on details of Williams’ absence and whether he would return. Now, we know.

With everything happening at Halas Hall on Wednesday — Justin Fields taking a shot at coaches, then clarifying his comments, Braxton Jones landing on injured reserve, Nathan Peterman being released and Williams’ resignation — NFL fans had plenty to say about the Bears.