Depending on who you ask, there were varying opinions on Matt Eberflus coming out of his first press conference as Chicago Bears head coach. Some saw him as rather underwhelming. Mostly due to the lack of details he provided for fixing a perennially broken offense. Others were encouraged by the presence he had. This was a man that looked and felt like a leader. Somebody that could command a locker room of different personalities.
The truth is it won’t be clear how good or bad the guy is until they actually start playing games next fall. However, nobody can dispute one thing. Eberflus is a man with a clear vision and identity in mind for his football team. He referenced it multiple times both before and during the presser. While there are many facets that go into his plan, everything boils down to four core principles that every single Bears player will be expected to adhere to moving forward.
This will be a H.I.T.S team.
- Hustle
- Intensity
- Turnovers
- Smarts
One of the chief criticisms of Matt Nagy during his entire run with the Bears was how he never seemed to establish an identity for his team. That won’t be a problem with Eberflus. The H.I.T.S philosophy might come across as hokey to outsiders but it is something he has operated by for years with significant success. One reason players seem to embrace is because it is easy to understand and easy to hold to a high standard.
You are expected to give maximum effort, play physical, avoid or force turnovers, and not beat yourself with bad situational mistakes. Straightforward and concise. People can’t say it doesn’t work either. Eberflus used it going back four years in Indianapolis. The Colts defense finished top 10 in takeaways all four years, top 10 overall in three of those years, and was consistently lauded for their speed and intensity.
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Matt Eberflus feels ready for this opportunity
He has been coaching now for 30 years going all the way back to 1992 as a graduate assistant at Toledo. He’s been a defensive coordinator in college and the NFL for a combined 12 seasons. So one can understand why the man feels this is a job he was long prepared for. He had a chance to learn from some excellent coaches along the way including Gary Pinkel, Rod Marinelli, and Frank Reich.
Their teachings have helped mold Matt Eberflus into a finished project. A new head coach that can teach and motivate in equal measure. There will be a new standard in Chicago under his leadership. Every player and coach will be expected to meet it every single day. In a way he’s echoing the first message Mike Ditka had for the Bears back in the 1980s, They’re going to work, they’re going to run, and they’re going to fight.
If everybody believes in that philosophy, this team will win a lot of football games.
The next part of his job is discovering which players are willing to buy into. Rest assured that not everybody on the current roster will be up for it. If they were the Bears would never have needed to hire Eberflus in the first place. Don’t be surprised to see several new faces on this roster by the time training camp rolls around.
