Bears news: Eberflus fallout, Thomas Brown reaction, new coach search

Matt Eberflus was fired by the Chicago Bears on Friday, a move that most Bears fans would agree has been long overdue.

Normally, the in-season firing of a coach is the clearest possible sign that a team has vastly underperformed, and that's true in this case as well. The Bears are 4-8 and mired in a six-game losing streak, their season and playoff hopes effectively over.

The optimism of Hard Knocks seems like eons ago, but now that Eberflus is gone, the team has come full circle. Yes the season has been a massive disappointment, but at the same time, it feels like it's OK to feel good about the future again.

That's how bad Eberflus was, and the best part of him being relieved of his duties is that Bears fans no longer have to dwell on every embarrassing moment that he authored this season. As a group, we can collectively turn the page on Jayden Daniels and his Hail Mary, Cairo Santos and his blocked field goal against the Packers, and whatever the heck was going on in the final seconds on Thanksgiving against the Lions.

The Bears will travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers on Sunday, but there'll be time later in the week to analyze the ins and outs of that matchup. For now, it's all about the head coaching position, and we have all the news Bears fans need to know, from what led to Eberflus being fired, to interim head coach Thomas Brown's introductory press conference, to GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren addressing the search for Eberflus' replacement.

Jaylon Johnson effectively ended Matt Eberflus' time in Chicago

Bears fans already loved Jaylon Johnson for being one of the best shutdown corners in the league, but after Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that Johnson was the straw that broke the camel's back on Eberflus being fired, there may be an uptick in Bears #1 jerseys being sold at NFLshop.com.

Glazer reported that it was Johnson that interrupted Eberflus' postgame locker room speech after yet another deflating loss on Thanksgiving, unleashing a profanity-filled tirade that proved once and for all that he'd lost the team.

Adam Jahns of The Athletic quoted an anonymous Bears source as saying, "Jaylon went crazy. He was very emotional and pissed but rightfully so."

Johnson went on 670 The Score's Spiegel & Holmes earlier this week, and he acknowledged that emotions boiled over after the loss to the Lions.

Johnson signed a four-year, $76 million contract this offseason to stay in Chicago, and in addition to earning that money by being an All-Pro cornerback, the Bears signed him to be a veteran leader in the locker room.

Before firing Eberflus, the Bears had never fired a coach in the middle of the season, but Johnson's leadership proved to the front office just how bad the disconnect between the players and the coach had become.

Thomas Brown's first press conference was a big hit

For Bears players and fans that had become fed up with Eberflus' weekly dose of milquetoast rah-rah pablum, Thomas Brown's introduction as interim head coach was a huge breath of fresh air.

Brown credited Eberflus with being great to him after learning that he would serve as his interim replacement, but Brown's first press conference showed that he will be charting a very different course from his predecessor, beginning with demanding accountability, from both the players and the coaching staff, himself included.

Eberflus was fired for late-game mistakes, and Brown said that he's "not exempt from responsibility" in that area. He also expressed how important it is to play with discipline and stop committing penalties, as well as how essential it is for the locker room to come together now and be on the same page, which is something that clearly wasn't happening before Eberflus was given the boot.

At this time a month ago, most Bears fans didn't know much at all about Brown, but now are ready to run through a wall for him after he said, "Football is a violent game and it rewards those who play the game violently. That is a non-negotiable for us." Mind you, this isn't a defensive coach saying this, it's someone that went from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator to head coach.

Brown's style of leadership is something Bears fans have been wanting for years. He now has five weeks to make his case as to why he should have the interim tag removed. We'll see how the team responds to him beginning this Sunday against the Niners.

Kevin Warren and Ryan Poles strike a strange chord

As frustrated as Bears fans have been with a long string of unsuccessful head coaches, they've been even more fed up with team ownership for never getting it right. Just look to last offseason as an example, when the Bears very well could have landed their former quarterback Jim Harbaugh as head coach if they had fired Eberflus sooner.

Harbaugh was as close to a slam dunk hire as any coach in recent memory due to his success in college and the pros, and the Chargers are now reaping the rewards of hiring him to replace Brandon Staley, who like Eberflus, kept finding new ways to lose close games.

The Harbaugh ship has unfortunately sailed for the Bears, but they still have an opportunity to make amends this offseason with whoever they hire next. The question is, though, why should Bears fans believe they'll get it right this time?

Team president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles addressed the media on Monday, and some interesting details emerged. There has been speculation that Warren would be the one with the final say in the upcoming hiring process, but he refuted that, saying that although they would be collaborating, in the end it would be Poles' choice.

The tone of the press conference was a bit weird, and it did little to assuage Bears fans' concerns that this is a well-run organization. Warren did most of the speaking, and he put on a good face, saying at one point that the Bears head coaching job "will be the most coveted job in the National Football League this year." Although he stated that Poles would remain the GM and be empowered to choose the next coach, Poles looked chastened and much less confident than when he's addressed the media previously.

Poles hasn't gotten every single thing right, but he's done enough to prove that he has what it takes to lead the Bears to prosperity, if only those above him would get out of his way. He nailed the Caleb Williams pick, and the trade with the Panthers that made it possible in the first place. He has a great hit rate in the draft and has vastly improved the overall talent on the roster from when he took over while completely overhauling what was a bad cap situation.

Yes, Poles hired Eberflus, but I'm skeptical as to how much blame he deserves for that. Eberflus is right out of central casting for what the Bears have traditionally looked for, and if you told me he was related to Dick Jauron or Dave Wannstedt, I'd believe you.

Poles did say what Bears fans wanted to hear in this press conference, that each coaching candidate's plan to develop Williams "will be paramount" in the hiring process.

Poles reportedly wanted Eberflus to be fired after the loss to the Patriots weeks ago, but was held back by ownership. Would making a move then have saved the Bears' season? Probably not, but I'll take the guy that wants to take decisive action when he sees that something isn't working any day.

Kevin Warren was brought in to get a new stadium built for the Bears, and to this point, he hasn't accomplished much. It's fine if he's going to be part of the head coach hiring process, but Bears fans should hope that Poles really does have the power to make the final call.