Our city’s football team has experienced a sudden, yet arguably needed, change in administration and coaching. In 2017, Ryan Pace was hired by the Chicago Bears as the youngest General Manager in the league. In 2018, after the firing of John Fox, Pace hired Matt Nagy, a former quarterback in the AFL and Offensive Coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, as Head Coach, in hopes to turn around a desperate franchise. After ups and downs, as well as years of criticism, Nagy and Pace knew that their job security relied on a winning, playoff season. When they failed to achieve the level of success that the Bears’ administration was looking for, Nagy and Pace were both fired. 

The administration wasted no time in hiring new, but experienced staff for the upcoming season. The new General Manager is Ryan Poles, who has held many positions during his tenure in the league , but was most recently the Executive Director of Player Personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs–an extremely successful team the past few years. Poles is best known for his scouting abilities as he has helped discover numerous players, many of which are or have already become top players in the sport. As his first order of business, he hired Matt Eberflus, who was most recently the Defensive Coordinator for the Colts, to be the new Head Coach. Poles stated in a Bears Digest interview that he was “looking for a brother to create an elite partnership with”. He went on to explain that when Eberflus came into the interview, he automatically knew that he was going to be the right person for the job. Eberflus has thirty years of coaching experience, splitting his coaching years between the NFL and as a coach at the collegiate level. More importantly, throughout his time as a coach, he has always emitted a sense of strong community within a team, a value that the Bears could benefit from. The tandem of Eberfus and Poles brought in new Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy, and a bevy of other coaches. The new administration presents a promising future for the Bears with each member bringing years of previous experience with them.

Eberflus has been quick to announce some of the ways he plans to improve the team in this upcoming season. He expressed to Bears Digest that despite the physical improvements he plans on making, including an increase in running, that his main focus is going to be on building strong relationships with each player and setting a new standard of morale for the entire team.

With any major change in staffing, there is always a level of uncertainty and questioning that comes with it. The Bears fanbase has long waited for new staff to fulfill the team’s potential, and this new management has the promise to achieve the success that fanbase have been longing for. While some fans may be worrisome about their team’s staffing changes and whether they will be a good fit with the roster of players, Bears fans view it as a positive turnaround for the team. When asked about the impact of the new change in administration, William Hartwig ‘22, a Bears fan, says, “growing up in a town of Bears fans, I think it was necessary. We haven’t seen success in a while and I think that a new administration could bring a positive influence on the team.” The new Bears Management certainly offers a promising future for the team and they will be one to watch for the upcoming football season.