Matt Eberflus turned many heads when he took over as Chicago Bears head coach. One of the first things he promised to introduce was a new team-wide philosophy. Something he’d helped perfect during his time with the Indianapolis Colts. He called it the H.I.T.S principle. Players would be expected to hustle, play with intensity, focus on forcing or avoiding turnovers, and be smart. As it turns out, that isn’t the only acronym he’s cooked up in his coaching career.
He even has some for specific position groups. Bears media found that out when he met with them down in Florida for the NFL owners meetings. In Eberflus’ mind, he believes everything starts up front for a football team. When you have good lines, everything else becomes easier. The trick is finding the right kind of lineman. Simply being big, strong, and athletic isn’t enough. Not to him anyway. The Bears head coach has two character traits vital to success in the trenches.
Thus comes his M&M principle.
“It’s the M&M principle,” he said. “It’s not another acronym, but I’m thinking about making T-shirts.”
“It’s about having great motor and about being mean, and that’s what you need at your lines,” he said. “The defensive line needs that and the offensive line needs that. Man, you’ve got to finish, and when you finish the right way at the line level and you play with that demeanor, that meanness, that’s the kind of guy we want to acquire. That’s what we’re gonna expect out of our guys up front. We can’t do that this time of year until we get the pads on, but that’s what we’re gonna expect. We’re going to demand that.”
It is hard to argue with his mentality. The thing to remember about the NFL is almost everybody is talented. This isn’t college, where there is often a wide discrepancy in physical ability. At the pro level, it is often the guys who play the hardest and the most physical that end up winning the rep on every play. This is why Aaron Donald will go down as one of the best ever to play. He’s not the biggest or strongest. He is easily one of the most relentless, with a mean streak not enough people talk about.
Thus far, the Bears have adhered to what Matt Eberflus wants. New center Lucas Patrick was described as “a prick” by Ryan Poles. So that checks the box. Defensive tackle Justin Jones is also one of those rugged players who work hard on every snap. It is still in the early stages. Once the team has assembled entire lines of these players, nobody will enjoy going against them. It will be a 60-minute war. Exactly like Eberflus wants it.
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