Even when all eyes should🔯 have been on the game, the Chicago Bears were still finding ways to create a sideshow circus at Soldier Field.
It began with Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus sending a message that came with the benching of wide receiver Chase Claypool. In case you missed it, Claypool had some public criticism regarding how he was used. And while the message might’ve been on target, the messenger shouldn’t have been Claypool — a player who hasn’t been making the most of his opportunities at any turn this (or last) season.
And it doesn’t seem like Claypool took the benching well. At least, that is my read on the situation with three confirmations from reporters who didn’t see him with his teammates on the sidelines during the team’s game against the Denver Broncos:
Reporting from the Tribune’s Brad Biggs, ESPN 1000 radio sideline reporter Jason McKie, and the CBS Sports broadcast booth of Andrew Catalon, Matt Ryan, Tiki Barber, and AJ Ross made note of Claypool’s absence. So, if you’re keeping score at home, that made for three independent confirmations of Claypool not being with the team after it was announced he was going to be inactive for Sunday’s game. Traditionally, players who are inactive are spotted on the sidelines or in a team suite. What an odd situation this is becoming. And it’s not as if clarity is riding in on a white horse anytime soon.
Claypool’s absence was a point of conversation after the Bears’ 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday. In the immediate aftermath, Coach Eberflus had this to say about the situation ():
Oof. We discussed this on the postgame show with Matt and Patrick and I feel as if Matt nailed it when saying that bringing Claypool back after benching him when he wasn’t with his teammates on Sunday wouldn’t look good. It would make that one-game benching look foolish. The optics wouldn’t be great. And I’m not sure it would send a good message to other players who might’ve seen Claypool getting deactivated for a day as a sign to get it together.
That Eberflus expects Claypool back at Halas Hall on Monday should have gone unsaid because it should’ve been assumed. Eberflus needing to clarify that goes to show how messy this situation is right now (and will be moving forward).
As for the chance Claypool is active on Thursday, I can go either way. I like the idea of dangling the carrot and seeing how the player responds. If Claypool looks like he is willing to make legitimate steps toward being a better teammate and player, then I’m OK with giving him a second chance. Although, how many second chances should someone get? Plus, I struggle to see the point of activating Claypool after seeing this offense put up 28 points without him in the lineup.
And if you thought the story would end there, then you’d be mistaken. :
This team can’t even get simple messaging right. (UPDATE: Per Adam Schefter, as it prepares for its game on Thursday against the Washington Commanders. So much for the expectation of Claypool being back in the building on Monday. I reckon it’ll be better for the Bears that he isn’t around.) I hope that journalism and multimedia schools are taking notes and using this Bears franchise to teach how not to be in the public relations field. The Chicago Bears are a charter franchise of the NFL and a PR nightmare. Walking back the head coach’s public comments and saying it was a team decision to keep Claypool away is a new one. What an absolutely unserious franchise full of failure and dysfunction.
In the end, I’ll be curious to see what comments Eberflus has on this situation tomorrow. A good night of sleep and a meeting of the minds at Halas Hall could do wonders for this situation. But it feels like even more messy situations could be on the horizon with the way things are going now. Stay tuned.
