Bears first half report card: Rating Caleb Williams, Matt Eberflus, Ryan Poles and more

Why am I a sports fan? I find myself asking these questions not when times are good like when my team is on a three-game winning streak after beating the Rams, Jaguars and Panthers. No, these queries only arise in the wake of an existential crisis, such as when Tyrique Stevenson is taunting fans in the stands instead of, you know, FINISHING THE GAME.

If you really drill down into it, almost all sports fans end up unhappy by the time the season is over. Look at the NFL. There are 32 teams, and only one of them can say without reservation in February that its season was a total success. That leaves a lot of unhappy people, at least if you focus on the end result.

When it comes to baseball, I'm a lifelong fan of the New York Mets. Yes, I know, thank you for your sympathy, it's been tough. My team just finished their season a week ago after being eliminated by the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. In the 63-year history of the franchise, the Mets have only gotten that far nine times, and only won the World Series twice.

Pretty special season, right? And yet, when the Dodgers recorded the final out in Game 6, I was filled with a profound kind of sadness. We came all this way just to come up short. Checking online (which is never a good idea), I saw so many Mets fans who were not only upset but lashing out and blaming players for not stepping up against the Dodgers. We could have made it if Brandon Nimmo could get a hit with men in scoring position. The bullpen cost us a shot at the World Series.

I get being sad, and I get being angry when sports don't go our way, as is almost always the case. What this Mets season made me realize, though, is that in order to not lose your mind from investing so much of yourself into the games that complete strangers who happen to be wearing the same color jersey as us play, you have to make it about the journey, not the destination.

Once some time has passed and the pain of coming up just a little bit short fades away, I'll be able to look back at this Mets season with joy and gratitude. From the unlikely adoption of Grimace as the team's unofficial mascot to Jose Iglesias and OMG, to Francisco Lindor's blast against the Braves to get the Mets to the playoffs, to Pete Alonso's homer against the Brewers to survive and advance from the Wild Card round, it's been a ride with enough highs to more than counteract the final low of coming up short.

That experience has given me valuable perspective as a Chicago Bears fan (Mets and Bears is weird, I know, don't ask). Just like my baseball team, my football team has spent much of my life being not very good. This offseason brought more optimism than I can ever remember, as Caleb Williams was drafted with the number one pick and the direction of the franchise began to finally take shape.

There are going to be a lot of frustrating moments, such as not only the fact that the Bears lost on Sunday but the way in which they did it. But this is also a special time to be a Bears fan. The team is full of likable players. The defense is great again. We finally have a quarterback.

Are the Bears going to win the Super Bowl this year? Probably not, but that would make them no different than 30 other teams in the league. Just because there are bumps in the road doesn't mean we can't enjoy the journey, though.

It feels odd to preach optimism in the wake of a devastating loss, especially with a gauntlet of a schedule looming in the second half. There's a lot of football left in this Bears season though, and Bears fans shouldn't be ready to count the team out just yet.

Before we get to the second half of the schedule, let's grade what we've seen through the first eight weeks from some of the most important people on the team. Here are your Bears first-half grades.

Bears midseason report card

Caleb Williams: B+

When it comes to the Bears' rookie quarterback, we can drill down into the minutiae of every throw and every decision, or we can look at the macro view. I'm choosing to go big picture because the most important thing isn't whether Caleb Williams can throw a slant to DJ Moore on third down as well as he can throw a post to Rome Odunze off of play action first down, it's answering a simple question. Do the Bears have their guy? The answer is undoubtedly yes.

Caleb hasn't been perfect, let's not pretend like he has. His deep ball accuracy has left something to be desired, and his tendency to try to keep a play alive at all costs has sometimes resulted in an unnecessary sack.

What we have seen from Caleb is growth. Each week he's looked more comfortable, more confident, and more in control of the game. This has been reflected by the way the Bears trust him to change plays at the line, and by the fact that he's only turned the ball over one time in the last four games after giving it away four times in the first three.

Caleb has made magic happen when he gets outside the pocket, and some of the throws he makes are the kind that make you sit up in your seat. He has the arm talent and the demeanor to be everything the Bears hoped he would when they drafted him first overall.

Caleb hasn't been as consistently excellent as Jayden Daniels has for the Commanders, but he's also had to work behind an offensive line that could use a serious overhaul this offseason. All things considered, Bears fans have to be happy with where he is right now and where he projects to be in the future.

Matt Eberflus the defensive coordinator: A

Matt Eberflus has come under fire after the way the Bears lost to the Commanders, and rightly so. He misplayed his hand after the Bears took the lead for the first time all day with 25 seconds left, which opened the door for Jayden Daniels and Noah Brown to kick their way in.

To really grade Eberflus, we need to separate what he's done with the defense from what he's done as head coach. As for which aspect is more important in determining what his future will be, I'll leave that for Ryan Poles to decide.

There's no denying that Eberflus has worked wonders with the defense. We saw it on Sunday when the Bears bent but never broke until the final Hail Mary against a Commanders offense that was tied for the league lead in points per game.

The Bears have the No. 1 red zone defense in the league, as opponents are coming away with touchdowns less than 37 percent of the time. They've never allowed more than 21 points in a game this year, and their 17 points per game allowed is fourth-best in the league.

The Bears are sixth in the league in takeaways, and Eberflus deserves credit for helping develop young players like Gervon Dexter, Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon and yes, even Tyrique Stevenson into real contributors.

Matt Eberflus the head coach: C-

Bears fans who are still seething over Sunday's loss will probably want to give Eberflus the head coach an F, but that's not exactly warranted. The culture around the Bears is good, and they've made positive strides ever since acquiring Montez Sweat last year. This is a team that's moving in the right direction, and for that Eberflus deserves credit.

Is he the man to take them to the mountaintop? Much improvement needs to be made before we can answer that one affirmatively. The Bears have been excellent at home but inept on the road, something that will have to change if they hope to come out of Arizona with a win this week.

Eberflus' late-game management has been his Achilles heel, and if he's ever let go, that will be the reason why. The Bears lost to the Commanders because they allowed Washington to get near midfield and into Hail Mary range with no resistance, and they ended the game with all three timeouts still unused.

The Bears have shown the ability to come back when trailing late in games under Eberflus, such as when they stole a Week 1 win from the Titans and when they briefly got the lead against the Commanders, but they also have a troubling history of blowing late leads of their own. This may be fun to the nonpartisan viewer who just wants an exciting finish, but for Bears fans, it's not what you want to see. Good teams put games away, and Eberflus hasn't shown that he can do that.

Shane Waldron: C

Bears fans don't have high standards when it comes to offensive coordinators. All we want is a competent offense, is that too much to ask? Under new OC Shane Waldron, the results have been very mixed.

Former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was persona non grata by the time he was run out of town. Waldron has definitely been better than him, but his performance still leaves much to be desired. I say that because although the Bears recently scored at least 35 points in back-to-back games, they did it against two of the worst defenses in the NFL.

Against any competent defense, Waldron has been unable to draw up a game plan that consistently moves the ball. He vacillates between being too predictable (the old run-run-pass method), and imaginative to the point of insanity (handing the ball to offensive lineman Doug Kramer on the goal line when the offense was cooking).

Waldron's early game scripts have been toothless, as the Bears have fallen behind in every game. He has shown an ability to build off of his previous calls though, such as when he had Caleb fake a wide receiver screen that he'd run multiple times only to throw it over the middle to Cole Kmet for a big gain against the Jaguars.

The Bears have several weapons on offense, but Waldron needs to prioritize keeping everyone involved more. Kmet has had some huge games this year but then has been seemingly left out of the game plan at other times. Rome Odunze has flashed tantalizing ability, but he only gets a few looks per game. Even DJ Moore is sometimes ignored for long stretches.

We can't talk about Caleb's development without giving Waldron some credit. He's given his rookie quarterback a lot of autonomy within the offense, and the way Caleb has progressed from week to week shows that Waldron's teachings are sinking in.

I'm not ready to give up on Waldron because, like Caleb, he's had the deck stacked against him by having a subpar offensive line to work around. If he can start scripting up some early points and doing a better job of featuring his best playmakers, he'll earn a better end-of-season grade.

Ryan Poles: B+

Rather than go through the many players on the Bears roster individually, let's group them under general manager Ryan Poles, since he's the one that signed and/or drafted them.

Poles gets high marks for his 2024 draft class. Caleb Williams has lived up to the hype. Rome Odunze hasn't gotten the volume yet, but he's clearly a future star. Poles was castigated by many for taking a punter in the fourth round, but Tory Taylor has been out of this world. Left tackle Kiran Amegadjie looked overwhelmed in his first game action, but that's to be expected with a fifth-round pick that's thrust into action. Edge rusher Austin Booker has been quiet after a fantastic preseason, so we'll give those last two an incomplete grade.

Let's look at what Poles has done in free agency. He locked in Jaylon Johnson on a lucrative extension, and that move has been a smashing success, as Johnson has picked up where he left off last year as arguably the best corner in football. D'Andre Swift looked like a bust through the first few weeks, but he's found his footing recently and is now an integral part of the offense. Kevin Byard has been a stabilizing presence in a secondary that's been wracked with injuries.

Poles also needs to be judged for what he didn't do in the draft and free agency, and that's meaningfully addressing the offensive line. The Bears roster is head and shoulders above where it was when Poles took over, but until Poles fortifies the trenches, the Bears will only go so far. Up until this point, Poles has only shopped in the bargain bin when it comes to linemen. This offseason, he needs to make a splash.

Bears overall team grade: B

The Bears are 4-3, so for all the frustration about letting winnable games slip away, this is still a better place to than Bears fans are used to being. Now the going gets tough though, with a second-half schedule that ranks as the most difficult in the league. This grade could change drastically in the coming weeks, as the Bears either challenge for a playoff spot or fall out of contention.