Something Suspicious Is Stirring within the Bears' Front Office

The most likely source would seem to be Warren given the details about Eberflus, jettisoned offensive lineman Nate Davis, ex-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and the dynamic of the Bears' upper brass. Nobody is made out to be the good guy, but Wiederer's sources lay plenty of blame at Poles' feet.

Furthermore, Warren received credit for striving to create healthy pressure within the organization to "stimulate a more energized and success-driven environment" at Halas Hall. The piece also touches on the adverse effects of said pressure, where Poles might feel like he's "constantly looking over his shoulder."

Ryan Poles' Missteps

Wiederer's column is full of juicy details and new information regarding Ryan Poles' tenure as Bears' general manager. Starting with the Matt Eberflus hire, it's noted that the Indianapolis Colts were planning to fire Eberflus before he became the Bears' head coach. He may have had to restart elsewhere as a position coach until the Bears showed interest. Wiederer then detailed Eberflus's reputation within Halas Hall during his Bears tenure.

"Throughout his coaching tenure, Eberflus was described inside Halas Hall as 'awkward,' 'corny,' and 'inexplicably isolated at times,' even when it came to interacting with assistant coaches."

- Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune

To summarize, the details paint the picture of a coach's coach full of slogans, acronyms, and nicknames. But when push comes to shove, players need a football coach, not a billboard telling them to "hang in there."

In maybe the most interesting line of the column, Wiederer explicitly notes that Eberflus was never pushed on Poles by ownership. While the public knows it was a bizarre interview process, this nugget seems important — not because it means that Eberflus was Poles' choice of the three options (Eberflus, Dan Quinn, Jim Caldwell) but because it's a direct shot at Poles' decision-making process.

Perhaps the most infuriating tidbit concerns the process of Davis landing with the Bears. Wiederer notes that the signing went through despite in-house warnings from the coaching staff that Davis was apathetic and lacked passion for the game. Davis was cut earlier this season due to constant availability issues.

Takeaways

Until the above details came to light, I was an advocate for keeping Ryan Poles as general manager. He has skin in the game with this roster and quarterback. However, Wiederer's column changes things because it's a callout from somewhere inside Halas Hall to highlight Poles' mistakes.

It's worth noting that Wiederer covered the Minnesota Vikings' beat when Kevin Warren worked there. It's possible that the two have a relationship and that Warren would lean on Wiederer if he wanted information to get out.

What would the end goal of that be, though? With only one year remaining on Poles' contract, now would be the time to make such a move.

“You hate saying that decisions are going to set the trajectory of the franchise over the next 10 to 15 to 20 years, this is one that will."

- Kevin Warren on the Bears' upcoming hiring decisions

Warren is a shark when it's in his and his organization's best interest. Many dislike his political nature, but he always has a plan. He essentially dismantled the Pac-12 college football conference for the benefit of the Big Ten, his employer at the time. Warren works multiple steps ahead of his perceived competition with contingencies in place.

I can't help but think he's taking a shot at getting his general manager hire in place to align with the next head coach's arrival. Maybe that would lead to real change, or maybe it'd just extend the cycle of futility. It can't be proven, but time will tell. It sure feels like there's blood in the water.