The new beard is filling in quite nicely for Chicago Bears H🔴ead Coach Matt Eberflus, who had a l൲ot to say during his media availability on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
But let us be honest with each other, we care most about what the head coach says about the quarterback. Acting like that isn’t the case wouldn’t feel right. So I’ll digress.
My favorite singular quote from Eberflus came when he said “I’ve been looking at good quarterbacks all my life.” And from a certain point of view, Eberflus is spot on. As a defensive-leaning coach, Eberflus has been scheming against quarterbacks for a long time. And while we often look to play-calling gurus to unearth quarterbacks, I’ve long wondered if defensive-minded coaches can do the same.
With that as our backdrop, NBC Sports Chicago’s Josh Schrock captured . I think you’ll find what Coach Flus said to be interesting:
I look at situations. I look at the guys that can operate third down, two-minute and the end of the game situations. To me, that’s a separator. ꦇAnd then you look at toughness. Toughness for a quarterback really is about the mental toughness to be able to stand in the pocket and deliver the ballꦺ, and also to have the discernment to be able to move out of the pocket and create when it’s necessary. They come in all different shapes and sizes. It’s always been fun to evaluate those.
Does it sound like Eberflus is describing Justin Fields? Caleb Williams? Drake Maye? Jayden Daniels? JJ McCarthy🌼? Someo🎐ne else?
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
I appreciate Eberflus’ candid commentary describing what he is looking for in whomever the Bears QB will be in 2024. Everything he lists above is things I’d consider to be a good trait—particularly that mental toughness stuff. You’ve gotta be tough to stand and deliver dots from the pocket. But you also have to be strong to do so while playing in Chicago.
This town isn’t easy to play in and it won’t be easy for a rookie to take over for a quarterback who is as popular as Justin Fields has been. Now, this isn’t to say that can’t happen over time. But to win over a locker room and a fan base figures to take a great amount of mental fortitude.
The quarterback wasn’t the only thing Eberflus was sounding off on during his Tuesday media availability. I’ve captured some other highlights that will be shared below along with some context and commentary. Enjoy!
OK, but one more QB-related quote that stood out to me: “If Justin’s the quarterback or a new quarterback is in there, there’s a lot of things around them. And what’s cool about it is that we get to add some more pieces in free agency coming up in the short term, too.”
A non-QB quote: “You can always have more rushers. You can always have more corners. You know that.” Later, Eberflus said that while the team hasn’t finalized an offseason priority list, finding someone to play opposite of Montez Sweat is on his wish list. It makes me think Eberflus knows more help is on the way in the form of impact players joining the team via free agency and the upcoming NFL Draft.
Eberflus on the wide receiver position: “We don’t have a lot of depth there. Adding some dynamic pieces there through free agency, potentially, and through the draft, potentially. So, to me, I know when you’re trying to defend that when you have a weapon at tight end and a weapon at X receiver in D.J., when you add a piece or two to the other side it really balances you up and it’s really hard to defend for sure.
They’re bringing back Combine shenanigans:
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus confirms prospects will have a choice between putt-putt and darts in the interview room, like last year. He says he’s pretty good at both, but prefers putting. — Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain)
Some people thought it was lame that the Bears were doing it. Others thought it was a waste of time. But, for me, I loved it because it is a reminder that it is OK to not take everything so seriously in the football world. : “Don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never get out alive.”
Eberflus confirmed that former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll offered a strong recommendation for new OC Shane Waldron. Between this and saving the Bears from trading for Russell Wilson by coaxing the front office to nix any potential deal, someone needs to send Pete Carroll a care package of Chicago’s finest foods.
This one stuck with me and I wasn’t sure where to share it other than next to the Pete Carroll nugget: “We’re going to have a plan if Justin’s coming back. If we have a new quarterback, we’ll have a plan in place for that. That’s why you have a guy like Shane who’s adjustable, adaptable, and creative.” Mentioning the adjustable and adaptable stuff feels like a wink and nod to what Luke Getsy wasn’t able to do.
Eberflus on replacing Eddie Jackson as Jaquan Brisker’s safety partner: “You’re looking for a guy who pairs well with him. Jaquan is a guy that’s a strong safety, he comes down, man’s tight ends, he’s a big hammer. The guy that we’ll be looking for has got to have athletic ability, he’s gotta have range, he’s gotta have great communication skills, and he’s gotta have ball skills. … If it’s a free agent, he’s gonna have to feel the temperature of the room and dive into a leadership role. If he’s a rookie, he’s gotta develop that with the other guys.”
Of course, Eberflus is excited about Jaylon Johnson coming back. So much so that he said as much even though there Johnson hasn’t signed an extension. As for a new deal, Eberflus said: “I’m excited about him. Like Ryan said this morning, we obviously want to get him to a long-term deal. I hope they’re close. I hope it works out. But I’ll certainly be excited to have him back.” That makes two of us, coach.
For more from Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus, check out the video below ():
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports depa🎀rtment (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgameඣ show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
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