NEWSLETTER
Before we close the book on Week 1 and shift focus to the Bears’ Sunday Night Football matchup with the Packers at Lambeau Field, I gave their victory over the 49ers one last rewatch last night.
Having a few days to process Week 1 and plenty of hours of watching game tape banked, I feel like we’ve done a great job of dissecting the opener, but I still have some spare thoughts that I want to get out there, to put a bow on 49ers week.
The H.I.T.S Principles Were on Full Display
Matt Eberflus’ ‘H.I.T.S’ principles were the talk of the town and even the football world when he was hired by the Chicago Bears. The day the rookie head coach was hired, he said that his players better be ready to “get their track shoes on.” Many mocked Eberflus’ sentiment as cliche coach speak, myself included.
But, after multiple rewatches of Sunday’s rain-soaked contest with San Francisco, nothing was more visible on the field and in the locker room afterward than the buy-in that 53 players whose average age sits at 25.7-years-old have made to Eberflus’ vision for this football team.
Whether it be Jaylon Johnson and Jaquan Brisker teaming up for a peanut punch strip and fumble recovery of Deebo Samuel – one of the most dangerous offensive threats in football – or the way that his team never quit on a poor start, Eberflus’ vision was on full display.
The Culture has been changed in Chicago, and while it’s a small sample size, it’s changed for the better. With an essentially brand new roster (33 of the 53 players are new), Ryan Poles has empowered his rookie head coach to engrain his vision upon his team. It’s working, and while there will be peaks and valleys with a roster so raw, so young, and not yet complete, the culture shift in Chicago will be the foundation for success.
Big Day for the Kids
Justin Fields orchestrated a 19-3 second half for the offense. Jaylon Johnson forced a fumble, and Jaquan Brisker recovered it. Brisker is up for Rookie of the Week honors.
Dominique Robinson had a huge game. In 28 defensive snaps (41 percent of the total defensive snaps), the fifth-rounder logged 1.5 sacks, a PFF grade of 89.8, a 21.4% pass rush win rate/pressure percentage, and three QB pressures to go along with seven tackles.
The offensive line – which featured a rookie (Braxton Jones) and two second-year players (Tevin Jenkins and Larry Borom) – allowed just two sacks against a ferocious front-seven that features superstar Nick Bosa.
While it was far from perfect, the offensive line has been, in the words of Luis, “the bane of our existence in recent years.” On Sunday, they looked like a group that, dare I say, might be trending towards competent.
Ryan Poles made it clear early in his tenure that he would overhaul this roster and build it to fit his vision, which aligns with his partner Matt Eberflus. What a refreshing change of pace it is to see the GM and head coach work together so seamlessly.
Poles flipped the roster on its head and loaded it with youngsters with upside, a recipe that paid Poles’ vision a compliment on Sunday. Of course, the kids will have rough days at the office, but this was an early bright spot and a small victory for Poles.
Hey, You Can Make In-Game Adjustments!
In-game adjustments? Are you allowed to do that? After watching years of incompetence on the Chicago sideline, this simple formula seems like something as out of bounds as we learned wiping the playing surface with a towel was on Sunday.
Multiple players credited Matt Eberflus and his staff with making the halftime adjustments that propelled the Bears to a victory over the 49ers, who, let’s not forget, were one win away from the Super Bowl last season.
One of those adjustments was leaning on Khalil Herbert in the backfield down the stretch, a move that cashed in for Eberflus.
Of all the one-word descriptions that we can slap on Sunday’s victory, my favorite would be refreshing. Coach Flus’ mid-game adjustments fall into that exact description.
Good Vibes Heading Into Week 2
Packers week in Chicago usually marches to the beat of the ‘The Imperial March’ from ‘Star Wars,’ but this week feels different. It might not be different when the dust settles at Lambeau late Sunday night, but it feels drastically different.
As Luis wrote, the Packers are a broken, disjointed mess right now, and the Bears are riding a euphoric high even days after their end zone slip and slide celebration marked a 1-0 start to the Poles-Eberflus era in Chicago.
The vibes are good in Chicago right now. They might not have the same feeling on Monday morning, but I will enjoy it while I can.
