Whatever that Sunday afternoon in Santa Clara, California, was meant to be, it was completely ugly. This season, the Chicago Bears, who many in the league thought would be climbing the NFL mountain, continued to fall off the cliff.
The Bears offense had more punts (five) than total yards (4) in a first half that was both shaky and drowsy. Their previously frugal defense did not fare any better, giving up 391 yards before halftime as the 49ers amassed eight plays of at least 20 yards to take a 24-0 lead and would lose 38–13.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles was left to contemplate everything he saw as he looked down on the chaos and a squad that looked disjointed, emotionally weary, and completely lost from Row 2, Seat 43 of the Levi’s Stadium press box. The Bears suffered their worst loss in what is now an incredible seven-game losing run in the opening game following coach Matt Eberflus’ dismissal on November 29.
It turns out that the humiliation and shame of this season might have no end. The Bears’ chances of winning again are definitely not guaranteed. What comes next?
If this excruciating skid continues for eight, nine, ten, or eleven games, what will happen at Halas Hall?
As Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren stressed this week, is Poles’ job security really that secure?
Should it be, if so? And why?
Three days after Eberflus was fired, Warren attempted to eliminate any ambiguity in his team’s guidance with a clear voice.
Speaking on a podium at Halas Hall, he stated, “I want to make sure we’re clear.” The Chicago Bears’ general manager is Ryan Poles. Additionally, he will continue to serve as the Chicago Bears’ general manager.
As firm and direct as it seemed, the statement was made at a press conference to discuss the Bears’ first in-season head coach termination in their 105-year history. Just eleven months ago, Poles doubled down on Eberflus, the coach he hired in January 2022, believing the Bears were about to make a significant breakthrough.
Nevertheless, after 46 games and 32 defeats under Eberflus’ tenure, it became clear to everyone in the football community that something needed to happen, especially following an incredible display of poor game management in the closing minute of a 23–20 Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions.
For Eberflus, it was all over in an instant. However, the Bears’ recuperation efforts were just getting started.
Warren attempted to present a sense of stability as the Bears navigate a difficult cleanup project for this disastrous season by providing public support for Poles during a period of extreme instability. As though he were reintroducing the team’s football operations chief, Warren praised Poles for being young, gifted, intelligent, and diligent.
“Every day he has done everything he could to bring a winner to Chicago,” Warren remarked. “And I have faith in Ryan.”
Along with designating Poles as the main person for the upcoming coaching search, Warren said the two will collaborate closely during a process they promised would be well-planned, thorough, and meticulous.
Warren declared, “We will do it the right way.”
Poles, seated to Warren’s right, scarcely looked as he heard that support and the remainder of his boss’s eight-minute opening remark.
Poles, who refused the Tribune’s request to be interviewed for this article, seemed defeated, if not ashamed, to those in attendance and many others who watched from around the league. His manner reflected the relentless wave of failure that has kept the Bears winless since October 13.
Given the importance of the coaching search the Bears are starting, some leaguers question whether a complete overhaul would still be contemplated in the upcoming weeks.
Last week, a league insider stated, “You can’t just blow past the discussion on culpability.” Furthermore, you won’t persuade many people that the only issue in that building was Eberflus. What role do Poles play in all of this, then? Someone has to investigate that and provide a thorough explanation. He has the same record as (Eberflus).
In any case, it was. Santa Clara until Sunday.
Poles (14–33) has now suffered one more defeat.
Poles’ work performance will continue to come under increased external scrutiny. Will the assessment conducted within Halas Hall, however, be as rigorous and possibly result in yet another important change?
It’s hard to rule anything out with four games left.
“Why is he allowed to keep his job?”
The Bears have established at least one potential impediment for potential coaching candidates by keeping Poles in the face of legitimate outside concern regarding his long-term job security. They may be concerned about a) working for a boss whose schedule doesn’t align with theirs and b) joining a still-green general manager who is thought to be in the prove-it phases of his career.
Poles nodded when asked last Monday how he would handle such issues.
“We can discuss that,” he replied. We’re willing to discuss that. We treat people well, so it shouldn’t be a problem at all. You could just ask around this building.
However, it will be for some.
“What major coach is going to sign up, no questions asked, to work with Ryan Poles right now?” questioned a former AFC official. If you are a genuine contender, you should question yourself and, more crucially, them, how much they believe Ryan and where that belief comes from.
It sounds harsh. However, I’m starting with the question, “Why does he get to save his job?” And I would like to go with no doubts whatsoever over their response.
Given how closely the Bears’ situation is being watched, games like Sunday’s only serve to reinforce the idea that the team is dysfunctional at worst and disorganized at best.
The Bears must thus keep in mind that they are doing more than just picking their next coach. The coach must also select them, looking for proof that the position is as dependable and appealing as the team has claimed.
As they cast their net in the coming weeks, Poles and Warren should be ready to be barraged with incisive questions. Candidates will seek specific information about Warren’s role in the power structure and how it will operate. They will demand detailed answers for why the 2024 season, which had so much promise, went so wrong.
They will also be interested in learning more about the future of Poles.
Rather than relying on the Bears to sort everything out, the former AFC executive explained, “Every highly sought-after candidate will want to thoroughly explore and evaluate all their options with every available coaching opportunity.
In order to accommodate the new coach’s schedule, the Bears might give their general manager a contract extension, similar to what they did with Ryan Pace before to their 2018 coaching search. That is undoubtedly one possibility. However, considering the direction this season is taking, it also seems foolish to reward Poles in that manner.
What would happen if Poles’ performance on the job continued to decline over the course of the following year or two, similar to Eberflus? This would hasten his downfall and put a new coach in a difficult situation where he is suddenly working for a new general manager who did not hire him.
Additionally, Poles’ general manager skills will unavoidably be evaluated, one candidate at a time, during the coaching hunt.
