Did Matt Eberflus Tip Bears QB Decision During Interviews?

Another potential tip-off to what the Bears are thinking at quarterback, or simply more subterfuge? In a quiet and innocent fashion, Albert Breer of SI.com lefta potential powderkeg and did it in a parenthetical reference within his Tuesday notebook on top of it. It was something sure to be interpreted by some as a tip-off to which way the Bears are leaning with the first pick of the draft. Then again, even the daily weather report seems to be a subliminal message about this topic of Justin Fields or Caleb Williams to Bears fans on social media. Breer praised Bears coach Matt Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles for moving rapidly to get new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron interviewed and signed because of his experience as a play caller.

He pointed out Waldron had been interviewed by the Patriots already. He also was mentioned in a report saying the Raiders had interest. At the end of this blurb, Breer writes, “Of course, the chance, potentially, to coach USC’s Caleb Williams was something mentioned to me as a drawing card by candidates for the job (though Eberflus did defend Justin Fields in the interviews, as I understand it).” Whaaa???!!! That alone should have the Justin Fields supporters dancing. Then again, Eberflus went way overboard during the team’s season-ending press conference to keep talk about the QB position and Fields right in the middle of the road. It would be easy to see Eberflus doing this during an interview if a candidate was speaking poorly of Fields. The other reason he might have defended Fields is almost all of those interviewing were not going to get the job. They’d know which way the Bears were going with their pick if Eberflus started agreeing with criticism of Fields, but by defending last year’s QB it does leave some question. Think of it like the climactic scene in the movie “Little Big Man,” when mule skinner and native American sympathizer Jack Crabb, played by Dustin Hoffman, advises Gen. George Custer to go down into the battle of Little Big Horn.

“You want me to think that you don’t want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is, you really don’t want me to go down there!” Custer says. Maybe Eberflus defended Fields because he really didn’t want candidates to think he wanted Fields even if he really didn’t want him. Or something like that. Either way, it’s sure to be a point of consternation for the next several days when Bears fans sort through all of this.