NEWSLETTER
Even though Matt Eberflus and his newfound beard stole the show, there were some things that stood out when he and new Chicago Bears coordinators Shane Waldron and Eric Washington spoke with the media on Thursday.
Here are four noteworthy nuggets that had me doing a double-take
Why did Shane Waldron take the Bears offensive coordinator job?
One of my concerns going into the offseason with Matt Eberflus remaining as the head coach was that the Bears wouldn’t find a worthwhile offensive coordinator to replace Luke Getsy. To be clear, I always felt that the bar was so low that it wouldn’t be too challenging to clear. However, there was a perception that Eberflus could be a lame duck. And that is the type of thing that keeps top assistant candidates away. But I guess no one told Shane Waldron, who had this to say about why he chose the Bears OC gig:
“The combination of those two things is really intriguing,” Waldron said of the Bears owning the No. 1 and No. 9 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. “And then even, that was just even from the initial interview was that connection between Coach Eberflus and Ryan Poles and seeing a connected organization. You walk through the building, and you really feel like you get really excited about the direction that this thing is going.”
I find myself encouraged hearing Waldron use words to paint a picture that depicts the Chicago Bears as a stable organization with a vision and upside.
It truly felt like the Bears’ hierarchy was in sync going into the 2023 NFL season. And that isn’t something I take for granted after living through the turbulent times of the Marc Trestman era. But then the year kicked off and chaos ensued. Everyone has a plan until they’re kicked in the nether regions by the Packers at home in Week 1.
Credit to Eberflus for managing mercurial waters and to Poles for letting things play out. Would I have done something differently if I were in charge? Probably. But I understand why the Bears are staying the course, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it. And if Shane Waldron can get this offense out of the mud, then maybe we’ll look back at Poles’ decision to keep Eberflus in a better light. Stay tuned.
Eric Washington plans to build the NFL’s best pass rush
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized. Make big plans, aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us.”
I love dreamers. People who think big and wish big are my favorite. Why wouldn’t they be? It is why I often go back to this famous Daniel Burnham quote that you see above.
Dreamers built Chicago from the ground up. Now, the Chicago Bears defense needs the same dreamers to fix a pass rush that hasn’t done much the last two years outside of Montez Sweat’s heroics. With that in mind, this quote from the new Bears defensive coordinator caught my attention (bold emphasis mine):
“We’re going to be a team that generates pressure with our front four. We’re going to build the best pass rush in football. That happens to fortunately be an area that I’ve had tremendous success with, and we have the personnel to get that done.”
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Eric Washington believes more pass-rush help is on the way.
Yes, Washington says he has the personnel to get it done as is and I admire his gumption for saying that out loud. Washington’s expertise working with defensive linemen is one of the reasons the Bears brought him in to be the new DC. How Washington goes about getting the most out of Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens in 2024 will be one of the things I can’t wait to see play out at training camp this summer. But still … the Bears could use another playmaker at defensive end or (and?) tackle. Good thing this team has more than $80 million in cap space and a second top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Matt Eberflus wants leaders, teachers, and creatives
There were times last year when it felt like the eye test and the things we were hearing from Coach Eberflus didn’t line up. And then, in December, Eberflus shared his frustration with how the offense was looking. In case you missed it, here it is the quote:
“We have to do a better job with short yardage. There is no question about that. You have to have a staple. Something that you go to. It’s usually the sneak, or the wedge, or the rugby, or whatever you’re calling that Philadelphia play. We’ve done that a couple of times, but we need to be more effective. … And then you need some stuff that hits the perimeter because teams will load up inside on you, pack everybody in, and leave themselves vulnerable on the outside. We certainly have that in our arsenal, too. But it comes down to execution.”
Jump back to the present and this is what Eberflus had to say about what he was looking for in new coordinators:
“Being creative. You want to be curious. To make the scheme go with the skillset we have. Being adaptable. You’ve got to be able to adapt. During the course of the season, you are going to have injuries at times. You are going to have different skillsets in there. In-game adaptability. You’ve got to be able to have in-game tactics. Being a leader. Being a teacher.”
Oof. That feels like a zinger directed straight at former OC Luke Getsy. Especially when you have the context of Eberflus’ late-season quote.
And if you think about it, those words could also be perceived as a shot at Alan Williams. The Eberflus-called defense and the one Williams was running before his abrupt resignation look like two very different units. Having Montez Sweat helped Eberflus’ case, to be sure. Nevertheless, optics didn’t look good for Williams.
Extra points
For more from the introductory press conference for Shane Waldron and Eric Washington, you can watch here (or below):
