Bears fans cheer after head coach Matt Eberflus was fired: “It was long overdue”

Bears fans across Chicago cheered after head coach Matt Eberflus was fired Friday morning.

“I’m a happy MF’er right now,” said Christopher Bartolini, 57. “Hopefully it’s a new beginning.”

“Hopefully someone is woken up and ready to make some changes,” Bartolini said. “It’s a great message to send. They finally pulled the trigger.”

Eberflus’ firing came a day after a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in which the coach did not call a timeout because time was running out and the Bears had the ball.

Longtime Bears fans and brothers Kellan and Luke Stanner found the news surprising but “long overdue.”

“We wasted an entire season, but now we have the opportunity to start a new chapter,” said Luke Stanner, 24.

Kellan Stanner, 26, said the “decision should have been made weeks ago.” He agreed with his brother and said that management had the opportunity to focus its energy on finding a permanent replacement who would stay for more than a few seasons.

The brothers, who grew up in suburban LaGrange and now live in New York City, said they hope for more wins next season.

Luke Stanner said Eberflus was simply “not a fit” for Chicago. “I hope he finds a good job somewhere else.”

Cindy Hernandez/Sun Times

It is the first time the NFL team has fired a head coach in the middle of the season. Longtime fan Rob Raczyk sees hope in what he called an “unbear-like move.”

“They did something different, and I’m going to look at it positively,” said Raczyk, a 57-year-old Northwest Side resident. “The fans deserve better and the players deserve better.”

James Gallagher, 27, of Oak Lawn, said Eberflus, who was hired in 2022, is not ready to be head coach and needs to be replaced by someone who is “in charge and in total control.”

Forest Park resident RK Brown, 60, said Eberflus is “a defensive coach, not an offensive coach – so not head coach material.”

Cindy Hernandez/Sun Times

Some fans said poor leadership put players at risk.

“We have a young team with a lot of talent,” said Luke Stanner. “As players they did everything right, but they had no support from the coaches.”

Elgin resident Jonathan Avila said Eberflus should have been released before rookie starting quarterback Caleb Williams was signed. The Bears should not make “another experimental hire.”

“When the Bears knew they wanted to sign Caleb, it only made sense to pair him with a new coach,” said Avila, 28. “Hopefully they can finally get a proven coach. “The team is ready to win now.”

Elias Ballesteros, 29, from Brighton Park, said Eberflus had “let Williams down” this season.

“Eberflus had so many opportunities to do things right,” he said. “The last few games have become memes. He doesn’t know how to create a winning culture for the team.”

Fans agreed that this season’s defeats are disappointing but are looking forward to next year.

“We need a coach who is a winner, someone with experience in winning,” said 29-year-old Pilsener Andres Garcia.

“We can’t do anything this season now. The team isn’t going anywhere. We just have to worry about next season.”