The report reveals why the Chicago Bears had Matt Eberflus host a press conference before the shooting

On Friday morning everything seemed to be going as usual Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears. The head coach held his regular press conference at 9 a.m. CT as rumors about his job status began circulating, and he said that he planned as a trainer Next week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

More than two hours later, The news came that Eberflus had been fired. That led to questions about why the Bears let him speak to reporters just to make a move, and a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero revealed the reason.

Bears chairman, it turns out George McCaskey met with the team president Kevin Warren and managing director Ryan Poles at the same time as Eberflus’ Zoom call, Pelissero reported. Postponing the press conference would have signaled that something was in the works, but the decision had not been officially made at the time.

Ultimately, the trio decided to make the move and fire Eberflus after his loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, marred by a late-game management issue. It is the first time in the Bears’ 105-year history that the franchise has had a coach replaced during the season.

“After meeting with (Chairman) George (H. McCaskey) and (President and CEO) Kevin (Warren), we informed Matt this morning of our decision to move in a different direction with our football team leadership and board of directors. coaching position,” Poles said in a statement announcing Eberflus’ dismissal. “I would like to thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and commitment to our organization. We thank him for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family all the best for the future.”

Inside Matt Eberflus’ tenure as Bears head coach

Eberflus was in his third year in Chicago – his first head coaching job. He and Poles arrived at the same time before the 2022 season, which began the rebuild. The Bears went 3-14 and secured the No. 1 overall seed, which they passed on to the Carolina Panthers.

Then last year, Chicago was 7-10, but was once again on top because the Panthers had the worst record in the league. That brought Caleb Williams to the windy city. But the Bears made a move to offensive coordinator after the 2023 season by parting ways Luke Getsywhich is why the future of Eberflus was called into question at the time. However, the Poles decided to keep him after the defense turned in the second half.

The Bears started this season with a 4-2 record but have since lost six straight games. These include the now infamous Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders on the bye week and a blocked field goal in the final seconds against the Green Bay Packers.

But the final straw came on Thursday when Eberflus was unable to call its third timeout as time expired in a 23-20 loss to the Lions. That ultimately led to Friday’s decision, which will be postponed Thomas Brown as interim head coach. He arrived as the Bears’ passing game coordinator this year, but became offensive coordinator two weeks ago after his departure Shane Waldron.