Make no mistake. When the Chicago Bears chose Matt Eberflus to become their 17th head coach in team history, it was met with mixed reactions. More than a few people didn’t understand what the team was thinking. Here they have a young quarterback in Justin Fields coming off a difficult rookie season. He should be the focal point of the entire organization, yet the Bears hire a defensive-minded head coach.
It feels like a colossal blunder in the minds of many. However, not everyone shares that view. Among them is former scouting and NFL Network draft analyst Bucky Brooks. When asked about which hire intrigued him the most of this current cycle, he pointed out the pairing of Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles. The big reason for this is because the two men exude the type of identity that Bears football is known for. Tough, physical, and aggressive.
When it comes to Fields, he isn’t worried. If anything, Eberflus can be a massive benefit to him.
.@RhettNFL: “Which one of these head coaching or GM hires has you most interested in how they’re going to transform their organization?”@BuckyBrooks: “The Chicago Bears and what they’ve been able to do pairing Ryan Poles with Matt Eberflus.”
🔊 SOUND UP #DaBears pic.twitter.com/inBZnNrewD
— Joe Ostrowski (@JoeOstrowski) January 31, 2022
Tom Brady himself has said that having a defensive head coach in Bill Belichick was helpful early in his career. It better prepared him for the types of alignments, coverages, and wrinkles he would see from other NFL teams. Similar benefits have happened for guys like Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Russell Wilson. Even Justin Fields himself stated he could see the benefits of somebody like Eberflus educating him on sifting through disguised coverages and other defensive tricks.
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More than anything, what the new head coach is bringing to this team is an identity. He has a clear vision for what he wants the Bears to be. He wants them to hustle, play with intensity, protect or take away the ball, and play smart. Every single player will be held to that standard, including Fields.
Matt Eberflus hire proves Bears learned from Nagy mistake
One of the biggest criticisms that followed the former head coach throughout the final three years of his tenure in Chicago was how he never seemed to know what he wanted his team to be. There was no identity. It felt like every week, the Bears were trying to be something different. As anybody with experience will say, you’ll end up being nothing when you’re trying to be everything. Not giving his players a firm sense of direction led to constant inconsistency on the field.
That is not going to be a problem with Matt Eberflus. His opening press conference clarified what his Bears will be all about. Speed, violence, tenacity, grit, and intelligence. Maximum effort is the standard. Anybody unable or unwilling to meet that standard will find themselves out of Chicago. People can agree or disagree with those requirements, but it changes nothing.
The standard is the standard.
Eberflus will coach this team with those principles in mind. Once the players accept it, the identity should be formed. Come next fall, the Bears will be a different football team not just in roster composition but in mentality as well. Don’t be surprised if it’s Fields who leads the charge.
