The 2022 season will mark the debut of Matt Eberflus as a head coach. The Chicago Bears hired Eberflus in late January in the hope that the team would finish higher than its 6-11 overall last season.
Before his hiring, Eberflus worked as a defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018-2021. The 52-year-old said that he looked forward to leading the single-time Super Bowl champion team.
“It’s always special when you do something for the first time, you’re calling a defense in the NFL for the first time, or back when I called it in college way back when, or when you step into a new role as the head football coach,” he said Monday.
Coaching gig in Chicago
Eberflus’ football coaching career began in 1992 as a student assistant coach with the Toledo Rockets, a collegiate football team of the University of Toledo. After a series of promotions, Eberflus parted ways with the program in 2001 to work as a DC and associate head coach for the Missouri Tigers until 2008.
The following year, Eberflus made his NFL career debut with the Cleveland Browns, working as their linebackers coach. After that, he moved to the Dallas Cowboys before finding his way to Indianapolis. It took him a little over ten years to finally work as an NFL head coach.
“It’s part of the journey. It’s part of your story that you’re writing, that you help write with everybody else that’s helping you. And you certainly reflect on that as you go,” he said.
Alongside Eberflus, the Bears hired rookie general manager Ryan Poles in the same month. Poles was a longtime exec for the Kansas City Chiefs. Poles’ hiring announcement came two days earlier than the head coach’s.
Last week, Poles praised Eberflus for how organized and consistent he was, saying “I love that dude.”
“He is detailed, he is organized. He has people around him to help him be organized. He is consistent. His message is clear. There is no gray area,” the GM said.
“He’s got juice. But it’s not fluff. It’s not fake. It’s real. And you can feel that energy he has. The guys love it. I love it. I’m so pumped about his leadership and how he’s going to lead this team.”
Gearing up for new season
This Sunday, the Bears will open their regular season with a matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The rookie head coach said the first thing he would do was to make sure his men were bonding well with one another.
“I think really it’s more about a personal relationship with the guys – you know, like Charles Tillman is real, bringing guys in; having them talk to those guys. I just try to impart the wisdom of the franchise and the historic, iconic franchise to the guys – and they appreciate that,” Eberflus explained.
Last season, the team’s 6-11 finish was only able to propel them to the fourth position, just two winning points behind the Minnesota Vikings.