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It’s not too early to speculate on which coaches are on the hot seat even though the season is still less than 25 percent old. The focus is on the Chicago Bears, a team that is 0-4 under Matt Eberflus, but far worse than that.
Chicago has lost 14 consecutive games since beating the New England Patriots 33-14 nearly a full calendar year ago. The biggest issue for Eberflus is that there is not one aspect he handles well from a coaching perspective, and team president Kevin Warren has no ties to him.
Warren also serves as the organization’s CEO, and his main job is to build the Bears a new stadium that is far more viable than Soldier Field. However, he cannot avoid the team’s embarrassing performance on the field.
This flagship franchise in the NFL has had a long and brutal run since the 1946 season. The Bears won their seventh championship that season, but things have been quite dry in the 77 years that have followed.
Decades of disappointment for the Bears
Chicago won the NFL Championship in 1963 and the Super Bowl following the 1985 season. The ’63 title largely occurred because Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers struggled in a pair of losses to the Bears that season.
There was no Super Bowl in ’63, but the San Diego Chargers won the American Football League title that season. That team is widely considered to be the best that the league put together in the pre-Super Bowl years. Many think the high-powered Chargers could have pushed the Bears to the limit.
There are no explanations about the 1985 team, other than it was likely the best one-year championship team in NFL history. The '85 Bears had the greatest defense the NFL has ever seen. That’s a debate for another day, but the point is the history of the team has been brutal for nearly 80 years and shows no signs of abating under Eberflus.
The Bears play Thursday night in Washington, and there’s every chance that a loss could result in the team pulling the plug on Eberflus.
Potential top coaching candidates for the Bears
If that happens, an interim coach would be named, but the top head coaching candidates would be lined up for Warren to consider. These are the current coordinators/assistant coaches that NFL executives have offered as the most prepared to take over as head coach.
Dan Quinn, Dallas Cowboys, Defensive Coordinator – The former Atlanta Falcons head coach has turned the Cowboys into a defensive juggernaut. They have the best defensive player in the league in Micah Parsons, and the Cowboys produce turnovers and sacks with ease. The only reason Quinn would not accept such a position is that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy could get fired himself if Dallas spits the bit. They face the 49ers in the early-season game of the year and compete in the same division as the Eagles. As a result, that could clearly happen.
Eric Bieniemy, Washington Commanders, Offensive Coordinator – The Bears will feel the impact of the Washington offense first-hand Thursday night. Bieniemy is the opposite of Eberflus because he is an old-school, tough taskmaster of a coach. While his players may complain, they do get results. Quarterback Sam Howell was nearly an unknown at the start of the season, but he is a viable leader. Howell is passing for 240.3 yards per game and that ranks 11th in the league.
Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots, Linebackers coach – Mayo is one of the few non-coordinators to be considered as being head-coaching ready. He has been coaching since 2019 after a stellar playing career. Mayo’s work ethic and communication ability are his greatest strengths as a coach. He carries the kind of respect that will eventually land him a head coaching position.
Ken Dorsey, Buffalo Bills, Offensive Coordinator – As Josh Allen goes, so goes the Miami Dolphins offense, so goes Dorsey’s chances for becoming a head coach. So far, so good, as Allen and the Bills have been lighting up the scoreboard since their Week 1 loss to the Jets. The Bills appear to be a team that could have slipped this season, but Dorsey’s game-planning has been on point and he has elevated himself considerably.
Devon Witherspoon serves notice with defensive performance
Going into Seattle’s Monday night game against the Giants, the belief was that the Seahawks were on their way up the ladder because of their offense, but the defense still needed a lot of work.
This team appeared loaded at the skill positions with running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet and wide receivers D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba along with the reconstituted Geno Smith at quarterback.
Defense makes a statement
However, the defense put on a show against the Giants with a mind-boggling 11 sacks – tying a team record – and a mind-bending performance by rookie defensive back Devon Witherspoon.
Witherspoon filled the stat sheet in a way that few rookies have done before him. He had seven tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, one pass defensed, and an interception that he returned 97 yards for a touchdown that virtually clinched the game for the Seahawks.
Witherspoon nearly set a team a record with that interception return. The only longer TD return in Seahawks history came when Bobby Wagner – who had an incredible 17 tackles against the Giants – returned an interception 98 yards in 2018.
“He did a great job,” said Wagner. “He had what, two sacks, a pick, I think he had a nice tackle on a crunch play on the outside. Witherspoon played really, really well. He's really coming into his own. Every time he plays, he's very, very smart and every time he steps out there, he gets smarter.”
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks also had a sensational game with 10 tackles and a pair of sacks, and he pinpointed Witherspoon as a player with a brilliant future.
“He's gotten better each week,” Brooks said. “To see him coming out here and just dominating this early in his career, it's a big sign that he's going to be great in this league for a long time.”
Witherspoon is the rare player who will have a chance to gain All-Pro status as a rookie.
Defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt steps up
In addition to Witherspoon, Wagner and Brooks, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt served notice that he may be the next coordinator on the up-and-coming list.
He diagnosed that New York quarterback Daniel Jones takes too long to make his decisions, and he devised the perfect attacking scheme to brutalize the Giants and leave head coach Brian Daboll in a helpless position.
If Hurtt can continue to figure out opponents’ weaknesses the way he did against New York, the Seahawks may become the team that nobody wants to play this year.
This and that
— C.J. Stroud continues to look the part of a franchise quarterback for the Houston Texans. This is an organization that regularly makes the wrong decision when it comes to finding a quarterback, so the positive start of Stroud is a revelation.
Stroud is fourth in the league as he is throwing for 303.0 yards per game and has a 6-0 TD-interception ratio. A rookie quarterback who can avoid interceptions is unprecedented and simply can’t continue, but he is dominating Carolina’s Bryce Young, who has struggled badly.
Young has a legitimate quarterback whisperer in head coach Frank Reich advising him, while Stroud has offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and QB coach Jerrod Johnson coaching him up.
— Joe Burrow and the Bengals have lost their way, and it may be more than the strained calf muscle that the Cincinnati quarterback suffered early in training camp. This team is supposed to challenge Kansas City and Buffalo for AFC superiority, but the Bengals are dead last in offense with 236.0 yards per game – a full 16.0 yards per game behind the New York Giants.
The offensive line is supposed to be a strength of this team, but the Cincinnati running game is a mess and Burrow has been under siege. It would be hard to rest Burrow at this point, but if that calf is preventing him from pushing off as he delivers his mid-range and deep passes, it may be the only choice head coach Zac Taylor can make.
— Linebacker Randy Gregory was released by the Broncos, but the Ravens, Titans and Vikings could all use a player of his talent and ability level.
— Add this to the legend of Brock Purdy. He completed 20-of-21 passes in the 49ers’ 35-16 triumph over the Cardinals in Week 4, and that set a franchise record at 95.2 percent. Any time a quarterback can beat out Joe Montana and Steve Young, it is a most eye-opening performance.
