LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) – Despite the Bears’ current turmoil, president Kevin Warren believes that the organization’s coaching vacancy will be as attractive as any opening in the NFL this offseason, and he has a few traits in mind as the search process gets started.
“This will be the most coveted job in the National Football League this year,” Warren said during a press conference Monday at Halas Hall. “We need an individual who has extremely high standards, who is tough, who is demanding, who is bright, who has attention to detail, who seeks and will win championships, who creates an environment of accountability, who's creative, who's intelligent, who's a decisive decision-maker and who will represent the city of Chicago, all of our fans, this franchise, in a manner that is well-deserved. The other thing is that I found in my years in the National Football League, that good players want to become great and great players want to become legendary. And the only way you make a good player great or a great player legendary is to create that environment of accountability and set standards that are extreme and demanding. And we will find that person to be able to lead our franchise.”
The Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus on Friday, marking the first time in franchise history that they dismissed a head coach in the middle of a season. Eberflus was 14-32 in three years in Chicago, including 5-19 in one-score games.
Eberflus’ final game with Chicago was last Thursday in Detroit, where the Bears suffered a 23-20 loss to the Lions in front of a national television audience as Eberflus botched the clock management in the final minute and his team never got a game-tying field-goal attempt off.
The Bears entered the 2024 season with playoff hopes but have fallen well short of their goals as they instead sit at 4-8 while riding a six-game losing streak.
Poles led the hiring of Eberflus back in January 2022, just days after he was appointed general manager. The Bears’ search committee interviewed Eberflus prior to Poles being hired, though Poles said Eberflus was a candidate he coveted individually.
“I’ve learned a lot over the last few years,” Poles said Monday. “I think the most critical thing is that I know from the roster that we have right now exactly what this team needs because of the core group that we have here. Before, that wasn’t really the case of understanding who is going to be here. It was a really tough situation to walk in to. So, knowing exactly the core of our team and what traits are going to help get that team to be a championship-caliber roster.”
The Bears named offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as their interim head coach for the final five games of the regular season. Brown is expected to be in consideration for the full-time position.
Brown’s debut as Chicago’s interim head coach will come Sunday, when the Bears visit the San Francisco 49ers (5-7).
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.