Being an NFL head coach is probably more challenging than any job of its type in existence. Other team sports like baseball, hockey, or basketball are difficult but also come with smaller rosters. Baseball maxes out at 26 players, hockey gets to 20, and basketball is 12. For Matt Eberflus, he will face the daunting task of coaching and developing over 50 players once the Chicago Bears’ 2022 season kicks off in September.
That is why organization is so vital to the success of an NFL head coach. They must be on top of everything. Nothing can slip through the cracks. When that happens, mistakes on the field are made. One faulty gear and the machine stops working. That is why the best head coaches often have a touch of quirkiness to them. It takes a certain degree of obsession to do something like that. Eberflus spent 30 years learning those lessons.
Now he’s ready to put them into action.
Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune spoke to the head coach down in West Palm Beach at the annual owners meetings. When asked about how the head coach plans to develop this roster, he stressed that the next nine weeks ahead of training camp would be crucial. So much so that he spent a painstaking amount of time with his assistant coaches preparing for this. The level of detail involved was something else.
“I went and sat for 45 minutes to an hour with each (assistant) coach and talked to them about what’s the plan for each guy,” he said. “Because that’s what matters. You develop the players this time of year. Where’s this guy at in his skill set and where does he need to be in nine weeks?”
Think about that. Eberflus is one man. Yet he went to each of his assistant coaches to talk about a plan for every player currently on the roster. That means from quarterback Justin Fields all the way down to backup defensive tackle Auzoyah Alufohai. It might seem pointless to some, but not to the head coach. His job is to make sure everybody in that building feels like they have a purpose. When that happens, everybody starts pulling in the same direction. That is when winning tends to follow.
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Matt Eberflus already has the right idea.
Once players understand that he not only cares about their development but also has an eye on them at all times, slacking off is unlikely to happen much on this team. Eberflus said from the start he was going to hold them to a high standard. Whenever he senses they might not be giving 100%, be it in practice or games, he will call them out on it. Players will get his absolute best as a coach. It is only fair that he demands their absolute best in return.
The process begins now. Chicago is one of four teams that will open their offseason program today March 4th. It marks the first time Matt Eberflus will get to speak with the entire team directly. He’s been preparing for this moment for years. One can only guess what he plans to say to them. Speculation aside, it is a safe assumption that he won’t be anything like his predecessor, Matt Nagy.
Club Dub is officially closed.
The Bears are about to become a more hard-working team. Some players may not like the change. That is fine. Eberflus expects it. What he’s bringing to Chicago isn’t for everybody. Once he has weeded out the weak, he’ll know how far they are from competing for a championship.
