Matt Eberflus has plenty of critics as the new Chicago Bears head coach. It isn’t because he was totally unqualified for the job. His four successful seasons in Indianapolis as a defensive coordinator proved he’d earned the shot. Many have a problem: he doesn’t seem like the type who is prepared to develop a young quarterback like Justin Fields. Especially given his background, which sits on the defensive side going back 30 years.
That said, the man is undeterred. He believes he has a plan for Fields. A good one. Much of it comes from watching other accomplished head coaches do their work with the position over the years. Eberflus sees big things on the horizon for the 23-year old. The trick is getting him into an offense that fits his strengths and helps him play smarter, faster, and more confidently. There is also one tweak the coach hopes to make in the coming months.
He wants Fields to run less often.
That may sound crazy. The Bears quarterback has 4.4 speed and is exceedingly dangerous when he tucks the ball and runs. He had 420 yards and two touchdowns last season in just 12 games. Asking him to run less feels like it’s taking a key weapon out of the Bears’ offensive arsenal. However, Eberflus explained his point to Adam Jahns of The Athletic. Scrambling to avoid pressure is fine, but the goal should be buying time to throw rather than running himself moving forward.
“When it becomes untimed, where it’s past the normal time, and now he’s dangerous,” Eberflus said on the “Hoge & Jahns” podcast. “He’s dangerous because now we want to be able to look down the field and strike people that way rather than running. That will make him extremely dangerous.”
It is obvious what Matt Eberflus is aiming for with such a statement. He wants to protect Fields. The rookie may have run well last season, but he also took a lot of extra hits in the process. Those can pile up on the body in a hurry. Nobody is disputing the guy is tough, but the Bears need him to stay on the field if they’re going to have a chance to win every week. To do that, they must teach him only to run when there is no other choice.
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Great quarterbacks with mobility don’t scramble searching for a running lane. They scramble, trying to find a guy open down the field. Look at Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers as examples. Those are the guys that Eberflus wants Fields to emulate. They create big plays with their legs while also protecting themselves from injury. It isn’t a bad plan.
