Most fans were baffled when the Chicago Bears decided on hiring a new defensive minded head coach. Offense was always the issue the Bears couldn’t solve, so why add more defense? But here we are, only a few months into his tenure here, and the changes have been drastic. They have been so noticeable, that even notorious critics of the Bears have been praising him, such as Jon Greendburg. So what changes could he have possibly made earning him this praise? You can describe it in just two words, culture and discipline.
The second Eberflus got the chance, he pounded one single idea into the Bears defense: fly to the ball. This is already working wonders for the Bears this preseason, who have managed to outperform every team they have played in efficiency for both sides of the ball. Now this is obviously just preseason, so I doubt it will look nearly as nice in the regular season, but this is only his first year in Chicago. If the Bears stick with Eberflus, and continue building this kind of culture here, that 2018 defense could be back before you know it.
The rest of the change is discipline. Under Matt Nagy, the Bears became sloppy. They grew in penalties every single year he coached without Vic Fangio. Matt Eberflus however, is notorious for creating some of the most disciplined defenses you can find. When he joined the Colts as a defensive coordinator in 2018, they were already a very efficient defense. By 2019, they were THE most efficient defense in the NFL. He can make a top defense even better with the mentality he brings, and we are already seeing that kind of impact in Chicago for offense, defense and special teams.
While Eberflus was not the clear choice at first, he is the exact kind of guy you want to build a contender around. He has already had an impact on the efficiency of the offensive line and the entire defense and will only continue to make more of an impact once Chicago can bring in some big name free agents next offseason. The future is bright in a Chicago where Eberflus sticks around, so Bears fans should hope he does.
