He drove around Level 1, which is labeled the Cubs floor to help travelers remember where they parked. If the Bears could then retool their defensive line to improve the pass rush, this defense could become something to watch. Hes done all those things, but we want to see his skill set now.. Were very fortunate hes the quarterback here. By Erik Lambert. His rebound downs Marian Catholic. More like, Oh, brother, right? Whats left for him to do? And, by the way, did you notice that all those phrases mean pretty much the same thing? Since being selected by the Colts in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Leonard is a three-time Associated Press All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler. Now, also remember the situation left behind by Nagy and dealt with as best they possible could. The window in which this can be brushed aside without it having an impact on the season is closing quickly. Eberflus is not going to register as a sexy choice, though well get to why this was a home run hire in a bit. But first, lets acknowledge the obvious. Eberflus is a defensive coordinator. While penalties have wiped out some of his plays, he hasnt had an interception since 2019 and had just two passes defended in 2021. Quarterback Justin Fields is entering his second year and coming off a frustrating rookie season in which he struggled and dealt with injuries. Before his stint with the Colts, Eberflus spent 2011-17 with the Dallas Cowboys working as their linebackers coach and defensive passing game coordinator. Here are four things we learned. As much as I agree about building through the draft there are certain vital positions that scream, pay a proven veteran. The Bears on Thursday named Matt Eberflus as their 17th head coach in franchise history. He comes to Chicago with 30 years of coaching experience, including 13 in the NFL, and completed his fourth season as defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. Thats going to be a really important piece for our team to be able to see that. Please visit our K-12 lessons and worksheets page. The announcement that Da'Ron Payne had been franchise tagged by the Washington Commanders wasn't a surprise. It was kind of a whirlwind for us, McCaskey said. I was excited for him because its a good fit., New Bears coach Matt Eberflus and new general manager Ryan Poles pose with a helmet after being introduced on Jan. 31, 2022, at Halas Hall. NFL Combine notes: Packers GM awaits word from Aaron Rodgers, Lightfoot is out, Vallas and Johnson are in the April runoff, Chicago police officer dies after exchanging gunfire at close range with suspect in Gage Park, Analysis: How Lightfoot went from political rock star to rock bottom, Patrick Kane leaves Chicago with clear legacy: Blackhawks greatest player of all time, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was in a fight she couldnt have won, Northwestern falls to Penn State in OT for third consecutive loss, Bulls nearly blow 21-point lead but survive against Pistons, Defensive whiz Richard Zoller, high-flying Angelo Ciaravino help Mount Carmel take down Hyde Park. Poles hasnt been home since and still is living out of the bag he packed a week ago. Offensive lineman Lucas Patrick, who played six seasons in Green Bay, will make his return to Lambeau Field as the Bears' honorary captain for the primetime matchup Sunday. In 2018, Eberflus was part of a Colts team that finished with a 10-6 regular season record, won in the AFC Wild Card Round and had an appearance in the AFC Divisional Round. Camren Wynter hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to give Penn State a 68-65 victory against Northwestern. Has Will Anderson become the drafts only cant-miss prospect? You look at what the man can do physically and how he fits into your defense, and you just talk to him about that, Eberflus said. The 51-year-old Eberflus is a defensive mind who has spent the past four seasons as the Colts' defensive coordinator. He's already met with the Bears twice: He's a mountainous 6-foot6 and 276 pounds so he has that length the coaches look for, and he's tenacious. That includes cap casualties and players that may get cut by their current teams due to scheme issues or coaching changes. I wanted to show him that we care, McCaskey said. -. section: | slug: bears-to-hire-former-colts-defensive-coordinator-matt-eberflus-as-new-head-coach | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Download: English | German. Thats not possible. Matt Eberflus will be the 17th head coach in Bears history, and the franchise is going down a path it hasnt since Lovie Smith selecting a defensive coordinator as their first-time head coach. Eberflus hit all those usual notes, which means there wasnt much of substance to be gleaned beyond his intentions to switch the defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and let his coordinators do all the play-calling. Read our revised Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice. In 2011, Eberflus' first season in Dallas, he inherited a group that was spearheaded by All-Pro DeMarcus Ware, who registered 19.5 sacks, good for second in the NFC and the NFL and tops amongst all linebackers in the league, en route to his sixth consecutive selection as a Pro Bowl starter. His career totals include 538 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 15.0 sacks, 11 interceptions, 30 passes defensed, 17 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries. After studying tape and writing reports on more than 60 potential NFL free agents, Bears coach Matt Eberflus is spending the week evaluating prospects at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Matt Eberflus May Soon Lure Pro Bowler To Bears. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune), Said Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who worked with the new coach in Dallas: (Eberflus) is bright and he communicates very well and he has done a hell of a job at Indy.. Poles admitted on Tuesday that teams have not even been trying to call about Fields, likely because they're aware of the Bears' commitment to the promising young quarterback. Of course, he was. Thats what were going to expect out of our guys up front., [[Don't miss] The Arlington Heights Bears? Then theyll go hunting for their big fish in the draft. Youre going to have to ask him why he didnt practice. They plan to find key pieces to fix certain holes in the roster. Zach LaVine finished with a game-high 41 points, DeMar DeRozan added 21 and Patrick Beverley had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Its unexcused, but its also unclear what the consequences are. A broken ankle. That earned him a place on the annual top 100 NFL player rankings. 1. However, there is one that should have the Bears full attention, especially Eberflus. Nickel CB in this defense is one of them. I wanted he and I to have the opportunity to speak one-on-one. Zach LaVine finished with a game-high 41 points, DeMar DeRozan added 21 and Patrick Beverley had a double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The offensive coordinator hire is going to be key, and it will be interesting to see if they seek an experienced play caller or go with a first-timer. 1. We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. And then were going to take it day by day. In 2019, the Indianapolis defense was stout against the run and finished seventh in the league after allowing 97.9 yards per game. McCaskey picked Poles after Polian recommended the Bears interview him. Always look forward to your stuff. Six national championships later, it sounds great. Gods Messenger: Meeting Kids Needs is a brand new web site created especially for teachers wanting to enhance their students spiritual walk with Jesus. After leaving Toledo, Eberflus spent eight seasons as defensive coordinator at Missouri from 2001-08, serving as the team's associate head coach/defensive coordinator/safeties coach (2006-08) and defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach (2001-05). That frustrates fans. After watching tape of Sunday's 35-32 loss to the Dolphins, Bears coach Matt Eberflus on Monday discussed three things that stood out to him, including quarterback Justin Fields' record-breaking performance. The Bears have announced contract lengths in the past, but maybe they were fed up with the constant questions about it after the 2021 season. Eberflus, the Colts' He talked this week at the NFLs annual meetings about his preparations for the program and his views on some of the players hell be greeting. Analysis and reporting is a breeze with Tableau, which comes a preconfigured report library, included for all cirrus customers. He comes to Chicago with 30 years of coaching experience, including 13 in the NFL, and Asked about Harbaugh, McCaskey said he was not going to engage in speculation about what other candidates could have been interviewed.. Coach Matt Eberflus knows Bears offense needs better execution at the end of drives, saying: "It's been good red-zone practices. Eberflus HITS principle for hustle, intensity, takeaways and smart situational play already has been well established in his interviews. Has Will Anderson become the drafts only cant-miss prospect? 1-ranked rushing offense. On Tuesday, Smith released a statement requesting a trade. McCaskey and the rest of the Bears five-person interview group which included consultant Bill Polian interviewed 13 GM candidates and 10 head-coaching hopefuls. this is actually a great idea i hated bears forcing him to play nickel when he was clearly not good but way better on the outside this type of mismanagement of a rookie can destroy there confindance and there career good thing Gordon is mentally tough as he improved by the end of the season. 1 overall pick in the draft, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has significantly more resources to upgrade the roster than he did last offseason. KVS and SoftRight customers now have the ability to upgrade to Springbrooks new Cirrus cloud platform: Feb 28, 2023. When Matt Eberflus came over to the Bears as head coach they started sorting through available leftovers from the Indianapolis Colts to fill out their Tampa-2 And thats totally fine. Perhaps the biggest shoe to drop during the press conference was the potential for a trade to happen shortly after the NFL Combine completes and prior to free agency: With free agency now officially two weeks away, there's a likelihood that the Bears could trade the first overall pick the week between the Combine's completion (March 6) and the beginning of the "legal tampering window" (March 13). The NFL media are catching up. Ryan has been an integral part of this organizations success over the years and has grown professionally alongside some of the leagues top personnel people in his time in Kansas City, Chiefs GM Brett Veach said in a statement. After watching tape of Sunday's 31-30 loss to the Lions, coach Matt Eberflus discussed three things that stood out to him, including the Bears' inability to finish and another record-breaking performance by Justin Fields. Lots of Adventist Pioneer stories, black line master handouts, and teaching notes. On Monday, McCaskey seemed to avoid the gaffes that plagued him three weeks ago and the previous time he spoke publicly before that, a full year ago except for one head-scratching decision. The Colts were one of only three teams to not allow a 100-yard rusher despite facing five of the top-10 rushers in the NFL. Sure, the Bears would then run the risk of losing a central figure in the turnaround of a moribund offense, but if the offense doesnt explode, the team is unlikely to become a consistent contender. Everyone was hoping it would at least be longer than seven months before the Bears went back to that kind of public performance. One even might say its as it should be. Like he had done with former GM Ryan Pace and former coach Matt Nagy at the end-of-season news conference in January 2021, McCaskey refused to detail the length of the contracts he had given to Poles and new head coach Matt Eberflus. All Rights Reserved. -. Its a flagrant defiance of his coach, but -Eberflus cant really do anything about it. This includes personalizing your content. There are 38 fully-developed lessons on 10 important topics that Adventist school students face in their daily lives. Eberflus' impact in Indianapolis was immediate. With over $8 million owed to him this season, the Colts might be better off moving on and finding players who better fit the new system. He earned first-team All-MAC honors and led his team in tackles as both a junior and senior. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. For his efforts, Eberflus finished third in the voting for the 2018 Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at That it came to this with Smith, who said in April he absolutely envisioned a long career with the Bears and is roundly respected as a player, is a problem. Open This Site https://t.ly/rL_F. Now, he's ready for his first head coaching opportunity. Bears General Manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus will both address the media for the first time since early January. But this is a busy time in the NFL. I just think that you go about your business, he said. I am incredibly excited for Ryan and his family as they begin this journey in Chicago., Coach Matt Eberflus speaks after practice, July 27, 2022, as the Chicago Bears open training camp at Halas Hall. Poles and Eberflus are brothers in much the same way you and the contractor remodeling your bathroom are brothers. Its not an exact comparison, but this is reminiscent of Nagys standoff with defensive tackle Akiem Hicks a year ago. The Bears need a starter alongside Jackson and have signed two other safeties this offseason returning veteran backup and special teamer DeAndre Houston-Carson and former Tennessee Titans fifth-round draft pick Dane Cruikshank. Eberflus meets the media Monday at Halas Hall. While preparing for the NFL Combine, the duo helped paint a clearer picture of what this offseason beholds for our beloved Bears. As Bears coach Matt Eberflus begins to reflect on the 2022 season, he feels confident about the culture and foundation established in the past year and is hopeful for the team's future. Much like LaFleur, the Rams Sean McVay and the Bengals Zac Taylor are supposed to be younger, hipper, cut from a newer, different kind of cloth, arent they? Following the Bears' third straight loss, coach Matt Eberflus is reassessing each position, player and scheme during the team's 11-day break. Funny how no matter who happens to be running Halas Hall in a given decade, theres never a straight answer for that. But his ball production has dwindled over the last two years since signing a four-year, $58.4 million contract in 2020. What did he say that we should throw our arms around and carry forward into a new Bears era? One noticeably missing name was Michigan coach and former Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who met with the Vikings during the weekend. After watching tape of Sunday's 23-20 win over the Texans, Bears coach Matt Eberflus discussed five things that stood out to him, including much better fundamental tackling by the defense. It marked the first time that the Colts, who ranked eighth in rush defense in 2018, finished the year ranked in the top-10 in run defense in back-to-back seasons since 1976-77. 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