At the end of a truly bizarre day, even by Chicago Bears standards, defensive coordinator Alan Williams submitted his resignation Wednesday, a week after he went on a personal absence.
Coach Matt Eberflus repeatedly declined to offer any updates on Williams during a morning news conference, and a couple of hours later it became apparent Eberflus will be orchestrating the defense for the remainder of the season with the Bears visiting the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
In a seven-sentence statement, Williams said he’s “taking a step back to take care of my health and my family.”
Players had received no indication of what was going on dating to last week, when Williams was at Halas Hall the morning of Sept. 13 and was gone before practice. Players called the matter “unsettling” and “beyond weird” before the team’s impromptu announcement shortly after 3 p.m.
There were plenty more twists during the day.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will have to dust himself off after quarterback Justin Fields suggested coaching was behind his “robotic” play and rough start to the season. Fields’ nearly 12-minute news conference provided the kind of material that, in retrospect, makes Jay Cutler and Mike Martz appear like good buddies.
Fields’ pointed commentary was revealing of his mindset as he attempts to jump-start his career. There was another turn after practice when, in an extremely unusual move, Fields gathered reporters at his locker and said his words should not be taken out of context and he wasn’t being critical of coaching.
“I need to play better, point blank,” Fields said. “That’s what I should have said in the first place.”
You can be the judge of that.
Earlier, Fields talked about “thinking” too much on the field and said he needs to get back to “playing free and being myself.” So naturally he was asked what was causing him to overthink.
“You know, could be coaching I think,” he said. “They are doing their job when they are giving me what to look at, but at the end of the day, I can’t be thinking about that when the game comes. I prepare myself throughout the week and then when the game comes, it’s time to play free at that point. Thinking less and playing more.”
The implication was the coaches and system aren’t allowing him to play in a style and manner in which he’s comfortable.
Eberflus dropped the nugget that left tackle Braxton Jones will spend at least four games on injured reserve with a neck injury. Jones hasn’t missed a snap this season, but his neck has been nagging him for several weeks. The Bears hope he will miss only the minimum time with Larry Borom his likely replacement.
Finally, the Bears announced they terminated the contract of Nathan Peterman, who served as the No. 2 quarterback for the first two games. It doesn’t necessarily mean undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent is now the backup. The Bears could play the elevator game with Peterman after re-signing him to the practice squad.
That’s an awful lot for an 0-2 team doing everything it can to become more competitive. And it’s why former Bears players and coaches and executives across the league were reaching out with similar versions of the same question:
What the hell is going on there?
Football coaches loathe the idea of a distraction pulling players and staff away from preparation, and the Bears got one giant one in Williams’ exit and another smoldering one in Fields’ remarks.
“You focus on here and now,” Eberflus said. “That’s all you can do — be where your feet are, focusing right now.”
The Williams situation has appeared odd since Sunday, when Eberflus was asked if the coordinator would resume calling the defense when he returned.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Eberflus said.
People in Halas Hall have been incredibly tight-lipped about the situation, and players have been in the dark the entire time.
Andrew Stroth, a sports and entertainment attorney who represents Williams, said he was taken aback by some of the rumors and innuendo circulating through social media about Williams’ situation. Stroth, who declined to say how long he has known Williams, said Williams is dealing with a health challenge and personal family matters that prompted him to step away.
“He will coach in the future,” Stroth said. “He’s just taking a step back.”
Now Eberflus needs to oversee a defense that has some familiar struggles: The pass rush is nonexistent, the Bears aren’t getting any takeaways and third down has been a mess. One would imagine that might cut into time Eberflus needs to devote to the languishing offense, which needs all the help it can get.
“I spend time with the offense on the game-plan days,” Eberflus said. “I spend breakfast club with the quarterbacks. I meet with the coaches in the evening on the offensive side.
“And then I’m in the interim game plan also on Monday, Tuesday with the defense. I’m meeting with those guys. I’m in the unit meetings with the defense. Like I said, it’s 50/50. You’re splitting it 50/50 there, that’s what you do.”
Eberflus said the defensive position coaches’ and assistant position coaches’ experience in the scheme is strong, dismissing the idea that he might need to be with the defense more than 50% of the time.
“All those guys are working diligently, so we’re prepared and ready to go,” he said.
If there’s a bright side to any of this, perhaps Fields and the coaches will reach a moment of understanding and find a way to harness his many talents and unlock the offense’s potential. Imagine if this peculiar Wednesday turns out to be a galvanizing moment for Fields.
“I want him to speak free to us,” Eberflus said. “I want him to be honest. I want him to be forthright with what he’s saying.
“And then, can we work through this together and get him to play free and have that flow?”
The Tribune’s Dan Wiederer contributed.
