Bears GM Ryan Poles on 0-2 start, controversies: 'No one in our building is panicking'
Before kickoff of Week 1, the Chicago Bears had some optimism. The offseason was viewed as a positive. Maybe the Bears could take a step forward in 2023.
That was 11 days ago. It seems like a million years in Chicago.
Not many teams go from optimism to the sky falling in two weeks, but the Bears are one of them. The past few days have been rough. The Bears lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to fall to 0-2, the coaching was criticized, head coach Matt Eberflus' job security has been questioned, quarterback Justin Fields' struggles were dissected, Fields had some quotes that indicated the coaching staff was overloading him, Fields then backtracked and said his words were twisted, and on top of it all defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned.
Got all that?
"Just to hit it straight on, we have adversity right now," Bears GM Ryan Poles told reporters Thursday, via a transcript shared by Tom Pelissero of NFL Media.
That's an understatement.
But Poles' message was that all is well around the Bears, despite a horrendous start to the season.
"No one in our building is panicking," Poles said.
Bears not worried going forward
It's rare for an NFL general manager to hold a news conference in mid-September, but it speaks to how bad things are for the Bears after just two games.
Poles hit on a number of topics. He kept a positive light on everything. What else is he supposed to do?
He said he isn't worried about Eberflus, who everyone else has put on the hot seat after a slow start to the season.
"With Flus, got a lot of faith in Flus," Poles said. "He's a leader, he's done a great job."
On Williams, who said in a statement he was "taking a step back to take care of my health and family," Poles said there was "a ton of misinformation out there," and in terms of the defense, Poles said he has confidence in it going forward.
Then there was Fields, whose comments on Wednesday added some controversy for a team that doesn't need any more.
Justin Fields' early-season struggles
Fields is off to a slow start and he said he needed to play more free. He said he was playing "robotic" and thinking too much. He was asked what might be causing him to think too much on the field.
"Um, you know, it could be, you know, coaching, I think," Fields said.
Fields met with the media a second time Wednesday — another unusual measure in an NFL season — and said he wasn't blaming the coaches at all. Poles defended his quarterback.
"I can't be more clear than this: No one in our entire building, none of our coaches see Justin as a finger-pointer at all," Poles said.
It's fine that the Bears want to move on from those comments quickly, but there's still the issue of what to do with their young, struggling quarterback. Poles said Fields had to carry the team last season, now he has more talent around him and he is adjusting to that.
"Now he gets talent around him and has to figure and balance when to do these cool things athletically, when to lean on others, and that is sometimes a gray place to live in, and that takes time," Poles said.
It's not a good time for the Bears. In Week 3 they go to play the Kansas City Chiefs, and they're huge underdogs. Patience is running thin in Chicago. All Poles can do is put the most positive spin on things that he can.
"I said it from the beginning: I feel good about this roster on paper," Poles said. "It's got to jell, it's got to work together. It doesn't happen overnight. Would you like it to? Absolutely.
"We're doing things the right way, and unfortunately, sometimes the right way is the hardest way. But in order to have success for a long period of time, we've got to go through these things to be a good football team."
