Ryan Poles did everything he could to help Matt Eberflus succeed as head coach of the Chicago Bears. He built the defense necessary for his system. The Bears invested big money at positions they probably shouldn't have, like running back and linebacker, because it's how Eberflus wanted them built. Many wanted the head coach fired after the 2023 season, feeling he'd cost the team too many winnable games and wouldn't have a good plan for a young quarterback that would come in. Still, Poles stayed the course.
That was obviously a mistake. Halfway through the 2024 season, the team pulled the plug after a myriad of brutal losses perpetrated by Eberflus' horrible game management. A few months later, Ben Johnson arrived as the long-awaited replacement. In the weeks they've worked together since, Poles is frankly blown away at how different the two coaches are. He couldn't resist explaining the key thing that separates them.
"His ability to really give a clear vision of what he wants and needs to be successful is really, really good, and you can just tell the high football IQ is on a totally different level than what I’ve seen and been a part of before."
There isn't much room for misinterpretation there. It is pretty obvious that Poles have way more respect for Johnson's football acumen than Eberflus offered.
Matt Eberflus was painfully unqualified for the job.
It was made clear when the news came out that Indianapolis had planned to fire him as defensive coordinator before the Bears swooped in to offer the head coaching job. It remains incredibly difficult to understand what the organization was thinking with that move. The only explanation is they did a favor for Bill Polian, who has deep ties to the Colts organization. Poles only spent 24 hours deliberating the decision after he was hired as GM. Everything about it felt off. Some speculate it was done because Matt Eberflus wouldn't make waves regarding team roster decisions; simply grateful to have a job.
Going from that to a highly sought-after candidate like Johnson must feel like graduating from a community college to Harvard. Poles finally has somebody in the building who can grasp every single detail in the process, from personnel to coaching and so on. You aren't slipping anything past Johnson. He will be on top of anything, which was the constant issue with Eberflus.
