When Matt Eberflus took over as head coach of the Chicago Bears, assumptions were made. People immediately had visions of the 4-3 defenses he ran with the Indianapolis Colts. Every year they’d finish in the top 10 and consistently ranked among the league’s best at forcing turnovers. It was something fans could get behind. They certainly didn’t hate the Lovie Smith years when he ran a similar system.
Except there is one key point that cannot and should not be overlooked in all of this. It isn’t a Matt Nagy situation where the head coach will call the plays for the Bears. Eberflus has made it clear from the start that he will not be doing that. He is focused on being the head coach and only the head coach. Yes, players will be coached to the same standards Eberflus held in Indianapolis, but he won’t be the one calling plays.
That responsibility falls to defensive coordinator Alan Williams.
In reality, it will be his defense fans watch this year, not Eberflus’. That is why there is an element of the unknown in this entire outlook for 2022. People are so confident the defense can keep functioning at a high level because Eberflus did it every year in Indianapolis. The same can’t be said of Williams. He has only two years of coordinating experience to draw on from his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
His time there can best be called a mixed bag. Williams inherited the 31st-ranked defense in points allowed in 2012. That first year was encouraging as it improved to 14th, helping Minnesota make the playoffs. Then in 2013, they tanked to 32nd. It was an ugly conclusion for him as the coaching staff was fired. That makes it difficult to know what awaits the Bears this year. Williams’ track record isn’t exactly encouraging.
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Matt Eberflus might be pulling a Bob Babich.
Through his first three seasons in Chicago, Smith had hired Ron Rivera to run the defense. The unit finished among the best in the NFL in 2005 and 2006. However, there were disagreements between the two men going into 2007. So Smith decided to send Rivera packing. He promoted linebackers coach Bob Babich to take over the defense, having greater familiarity with the man and knowing he’d run the defense the right way.
It was a disastrous decision. The defense crumbled to 28th, 21st, and 17th over the next three seasons while the Bears failed to make the playoffs. This after coming close to winning a Super Bowl. Is Matt Eberflus making the same mistake with Williams? That remains to be seen. It does feel like the head coach opted for the familiar rather than the most qualified. Maybe Williams learned a lot from his mistakes in Minnesota.
The 2022 season will determine that.
Eberflus has the utmost confidence in his defensive coordinator. That is good. The last thing Williams needs is to look over his shoulder like Bill Lazor did with Nagy. If the two work together in the right way, the defense should be able to function at a high level. If not, Eberflus may be forced to do what Smith eventually did in 2010 and find a more capable play caller.
