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DJ Moore of the Chicago Bears.
It has been quite the week for the Chicago Bears.
After dropping their six straight game to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, the team did something it had never done in its 100+ year history when it fired head coach Matt Eberflus the day after the loss. It was the first time the franchise ever let a head coach go during the regular season, and it came after another poor instance of timeout management courtesy of Flus.
The Bears appointed offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as interim head coach, and now that the dust is beginning to settle, players are issuing their first comments about what went down.
During his regular Monday appearance on 670 The Score’s “Mully & Haugh Show,” Bears top receiver DJ Moore said he saw Eberflus’ firing coming.
“As the season was going, you just kind of figured that was going to happen. Thursday at the end of the game was the last straw, I feel like,” Moore said. “They did it. Now we got T.B. (Thomas Brown) as the interim head coach, and we’re going to go out there and play for him.”
DJ Moore Talks Eberflus Firing, Message From GM Ryan Poles
For the few who didn’t watch the Bears’ late-game collapse against Detroit, here’s a refresher. With under a minute to go, the Bears were down 23-20 with one remaining timeout, and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked on second-and-20 from Detroit’s 35-yard line, resulting in a 6-yard loss. Despite the clock continuing to run, Eberflus opted not to use the final timeout, leading to a hurried third-down play that fell incomplete as time expired.
Moore was asked about the situation, and he gave a candid response. “I felt we could have took the timeout and regrouped and got a few plays off, but that wasn’t the case,” he said.
When pressed about whose responsibility it was to call the timeout, Williams’ or Flus’ Moore said he thinks that call should have been made by Eberflus.
“I feel like the coach has got to call a timeout and regroup us,” he noted, also revealing general manager Ryan Poles told him about Eberflus’ firing.
“He just basically told me what had already got out in the media before he called me, but he was just like, ‘We’re going to get this thing turned around – a leader of men is going to be in here for the next coach,'” Moore said.
DJ Moore on New Interim HC Thomas Brown: He Brings the Juice Daily
Over 12 games this season, Moore has hauled in 62 receptions for 663 yards, averaging 10.7 yards per catch, also scoring five touchdowns. Two of his best three games of the season came in the two games Brown has served as offensive coordinator, so it’s fair to be excited about what the remainder of the season could hold.
“He brings the juice every day,” Moore said about Brown. “He gets everybody going. His energy is really felt by everybody — offense, defense and special teams. I look forward to seeing how he leads the team these last few weeks and then go from there.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Brown has continued success now that his leadership role has expanded. One thing is for sure: Addressing late-game issues will be crucial for the Bears to be recognized as a legitimate team, and he’ll need to be better than Flus was there. Fortunately, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore
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