A lot of people raised an eyebrow when the announcement happened. The Chicago Bears had hired Matt Eberflus as their new head coach. Now, this wasn’t because the man hadn’t earned an opportunity. He’d been coaching for 30 years and spent the past four seasons running a top ten defense for the Indianapolis Colts. The problem was his background. As a defensive specialist, many wondered what he could offer Justin Fields.
The typical approach in today’s NFL is that if you have a young quarterback, it is customary to pair him with a head coach with a deep offensive background. It is preferably working with QBs. Logically, it makes sense. One would think a coach that has worked with quarterbacks can communicate best with Fields, understanding what he wants and needs. George McCaskey didn’t see it that way. He made it clear to his search team from the start that he wanted the best leader for the Bears.
His background didn’t matter.
Once GM Ryan Poles was hired, he was given the reins to pick the guy. After some lengthy interviews, he reached a decision. Eberflus was the guy. Poles felt the 51-year old embodied everything he wanted in a head coach and had the same sort of vision for the roster. While the choice is sensible, it hasn’t erased the questions about what he can do for Fields. So he took the opportunity to explain his plan to Adam Hoge of CHGO about how he’ll help the quarterback adhere to the team’s new H.I.T.S (hustle, intensity, turnovers, smarts) philosophy.
“I would just say for him, it’s more about the mental focus, the mental intensity, being situationally aware, him executing with detail and technique, all his ball mechanics, quarterback mechanics. So it’s a little bit different. And that’s what I told the offensive staff. I said, hey, this is by position.
Defensively, it’s a little easier to implement because it’s hey, 11 guys chasing one ball — I get it. So on offense we really have to be detailed and it’s a process. We’re going to have to figure out exactly how we’re going to coach the receivers on this, the running backs, the offensive line, the tight ends and so forth. So we’re working through that right now.”
Eberflus seems to have a good plan in mind. He understands that the greatest challenge of the quarterback position rests between the ears. The best ones can handle ridiculous amounts of information from snap to snap without losing their composure. This takes immense focus and attention to detail.
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Matt Eberflus’ staff construction plays into this
He has emphasized from the beginning that he wants teachers on his coaching staff. Guys that are able to communicate to players why things are being done a certain way. How it will help them become better. A lot of coaches struggle with this part of the job. See Matt Nagy. Eberflus wanted to make sure he hired people who can get his message across and understand the value of teaching.
People like new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Word from Green Bay is the former quarterbacks coach is a stickler for details. He hammers them home to his players every single time. It is not to be annoying but as a constant reminder of how important they are to succeed in this league. It is a big reason why Aaron Rodgers was able to win back-to-back MVPs in his late 30s. Too often in 2021, it felt like Fields wasn’t remembering the details. That is something Getsy and Matt Eberflus will look to fix.
That is an excellent place to start.
People always talk about schemes and play calling. The truth is none of that stuff matters if the player doesn’t learn how to execute at a high level from play to play. This is where the Bears need the most work, including Fields. It is okay to be skeptical of Eberflus, but at least the man sounds like he has a plan.
