Change for the Chicago Bears is here. The search committee hired Ryan Poles to be the new general manager and he quickly hired Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as head coach.
Both men will address the Chicago media for the first time on Monday.
The press conference will begin at 11 a.m. CT.
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And they've been active since hiring numerous roles to fill out the front office and coaching staff. Poles hired the Eagles' Ian Cunningham to be the assistant general manager.
Cunningham worked as the Eagles director of player personnel. In that role, Cunningham oversaw “the college scouting department while also doing crossover work on the pro scouting side in collaboration with co-director of player personnel Brandon Brown,” per the Eagles.
Eberflus hired Green Bay Packers coach Luke Getsy to be the Bears' new offensive coordinator.
Getsy, 37, has coached at the NFL level for seven years with the Green Bay Packers, most recently as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2020. He began in 2014 as an offensive quality control coach, advancing to wide receivers coach in 2016. After serving as Mississippi State's offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2018, he returned to the Packers as quarterbacks coach.
NFL
Tonight, at 5:30 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Chicago will air a special edition of the Football Aftershow to recap the news and what McCaskey told the media. Host David Kaplan will be joined by insider Adam Hoge.
During the press conference, check back for updates below.
Ryan Poles was a unanimous pick
Bears chairman George McCaskey said Ryan Poles was a unanimous pick for general manager by the search committee.
Ryan Poles gave his mission statement
Ryan Poles outlined how he will build the Bears back into contenders.
"We're going to build through draft." Targeting fast and physical players. They're going to be selective in free agency. Value open communication and candor," Poles said.
He also said the Bears would take back the NFC North and never give it back.
Matt Eberflus outlines team's identity
One thing the former players on the Football Aftershow have said is the team needs an identity. He outlined a high tempo and attacking style and issued a warning for the players.
"Get your track shoes on because we're running."
Analytics will be a part of the Bears' front office
Poles said that analytics will have a presence in the front office and compared it to an app giving directions. He said while he knows the way home, why wouldn't he look at available data to see if there is an accident or faster routes.
Candor over collaboration
If collaboration was the last regime's buzzword, candor is Ryan Poles'. He stressed the importance of candor on the process, from accountability to draft evaluation.
Defense is changing to a 4-3
One point of discussion is if Eberflus would bring the 4-3 defense to the Bears, which have run a 3-4. Eberflus confirmed that change was coming while noting that he has been through that change before.
Defensive coordinator will call plays
One knock on Matt Nagy was his inability to give up play-calling duties. In his introductory press conference, Eberflus said the defensive coordinator will call plays, not him. He said he believes it's important for the head football coach to be just that, a head coach.