Bears fans across Chicago rejoiced after head coach Matt Eberflus was fired Friday morning.
“I’m one happy MF’er right now,” said Christopher Bartolini, 57. “Hopefully, it’s a new beginning.”
“Hopefully, somebody woke up, and they’re willing to make some changes,” Bartolini said. “It’s a great message to send, they finally pulled the trigger.”
Eberflus’ firing came one day after a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field during which the coach failed to call a timeout as the clock expired and the Bears had the ball.
Longtime Bears fans and brothers Kellan and Luke Stanner found the news surprising but “long overdue.”
“We’ve wasted an entire season, but now we have an opportunity to turn over a new leaf,” said Luke Stanner, 24.
Kellan Stanner, 26, said the “decision should’ve been made weeks ago.” He agreed with his brother, saying management has an opportunity to focus its energy on finding a long-lasting replacement that would stay on longer than a couple seasons.
The brothers, who grew up in suburban LaGrange and now live in New York City, said they hoped for more winning games next season.
Luke Stanner said Eberflus just “wasn’t fit” for Chicago. “I hope he finds a good job somewhere else.”
Luke Stanner (left) and Kellan Stanner at Hawkeye’s Bar and Grill in Little Italy.
Cindy Hernandez/Sun-Times
It’s the first time the team has fired a head coach in the middle of the season. Longtime fan Rob Raczyk sees hope in what he described as an “un-Bear-like move.”
“They did something different, and I’m gonna take it as a positive,” 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 — wasn’t ready to be head coach and needed to be replaced with someone who will be “in charge and in total control.”
Forest Park resident R.K. Brown, 60, said Eberflus is “a defensive coach, not an offensive coach — so not head coach material.”
R. K. Brown (left), Andres Garcia (middle) and their friend at Hawkeye’s Bar and Grill in Little Italy.
Cindy Hernandez/Sun-Times
Some fans said poor leadership put the players in jeopardy.
“We have a young team with a lot of talent,” Luke Stanner said. “As players, they did everything right, but they had no support from the coaches.”
Elgin resident Jonathan Avila said Eberflus should’ve been fired before starting quarterback Caleb Williams was brought in. The Bears shouldn’t make “another experimental hiring.”
“Once the Bears knew they were planning to draft 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.”
Brighton Park resident Elias Ballesteros, 29, said Eberflus “failed” Williams this season.
“Eberflus had so many opportunities to make things right,” he said. “The last couple games have become memes. He doesn’t know how to create a winning culture for the team.”
Fans agreed the losses this season are disappointing, but they look forward to next year.
“We need a coach who’s a winner, someone with experience winning,” said Pilsen resident Andres Garcia, 29.
“There’s nothing we can do about this season now. The team’s not going anywhere. We just need to worry about the next season.”