Matt Eberflus wasn’t the popular name during the interview process for the vacant Chicago Bears head coaching position last year. Defensive-minded guys rarely are. However, things took a turn when Ryan Poles became the new GM. The man knew the history of Eberflus’ defense tracing back to Lovie Smith, who he briefly played under in 2008. He understood the demands the coach placed on players. When the two met, they hit it off immediately. Not long after, Eberflus was officially hired as the new head coach.
There were several things he could do first. There was introducing himself to everybody at Halas Hall. There was crafting the agenda for his new roster. He also could take the time to prepare for the introductory press conference. None of those things were what came to mind first. Before anything else, Eberflus knew there was one person he had to speak to. Adam Jahns and Kevin Fishbain revealed it for The Athletic.
After he was hired by Chicago, Eberflus’ first phone call went to Fields. The two met before the Bears officially introduced Eberflus as head coach.
“We have to be able to lead the football team, quarterback and head football coach,” Eberflus recalled saying. “Our relationship is going to matter because everybody’s going to be able to see that we’re on the same page.”
This is a great reminder of how intelligent Eberflus is. Yes, he’s a defensive coach. However, he understands the fundamental reality of the NFL. Great teams are driven by the relationship between a head coach and his quarterback. If the Bears were going to win, he had to make sure he and Fields were on the same page.
Matt Eberflus did pretty well handling Fields in Year One.
It wasn’t perfect. The quarterback endured some tough stretches during the season, getting sacked 55 times. However, he also made significant strides. For a good number of games, Fields was by far the best player on the field for the Bears. He was racking up yards at a ridiculous clip and helping them average 30 points per game. Much of this was thanks to Eberflus’ willingness to adjust the offensive scheme alongside Luke Getsy to take advantage of his quarterback’s strengths better.
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Going into Year Two, it is apparent head coach and quarterback are in lockstep. Matt Eberflus has let Getsy maintain the same offense, which Smith struggled doing during his tenure in Chicago. At the same time, he also aided Poles in finding better players to bolster the roster. New arrivals like D.J. Moore, Nate Davis, Robert Tonyan, Darnell Wright, Roschon Johnson, and Tyler Scott should do that. Fields is in a much better place than last year. Much of that is thanks to the trust and direction of his head coach.
