Matt Eberflus was classy in his first comments since being fired by the Bears.
“With the McCaskey family, and [GM] “Ryan Pauls has given me the opportunity to be the head coach of the Bears,” Eberflus said in a statement Saturday. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the players for their hard work, dedication and resilience.
“In every situation, in practice, in games, and especially in the face of adversity, you came together and gave tremendous effort for your team and each other.”
Eberflus was fired Friday, a day after the Bears embarrassingly missed a game-ending drive against the Lions on Thanksgiving, losing 23-20.
This ended a disastrous two-plus season for Everflus in Chicago, where he finished the season with a record of 14 wins and 32 losses.
“What I am most proud of is how you carried yourself on and off the field and represented the Bears organization with integrity in your community.
“To our fans, thank you for your support and passion. I remain deeply grateful to the Bears organization and the city of Chicago.”
Eberflus was in charge of two quarterbacks who were highly drafted by the Bears, but had little success.
He took over for one season after the Bears drafted Justin Fields 11th overall in 2021, but never developed as much as expected.
The Bears selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick last year, but he had a rocky rookie season.
Thursday's loss was like the last straw.
“After meeting with him this morning, [chairman] george [McCaskey] and [CEO] kevin [Warren]”We have informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the position of head coach,” the Polish said in a statement Friday. “We are grateful for Matt's hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization.
“We would like to thank him for his contributions to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best of luck in the future.”
