Fans and media might have a hard time accepting Matt Eberflus and his H.I.T.S philosophy. It sounds so over the top. That hustle, intensity, takeaways, and smarts are the keys to success in football. Here is the thing. Eberflus believes it with all of his heart. So does his new defensive coordinator Alan Williams. The two worked together in Indianapolis since 2018 and it was there they made the principle stick.
Williams made one thing clear in his opening press conference to the Bears media. This approach isn't going to be popular in the Bears locker room. Not at first. H.I.T.S asks a lot of players. Maximum effort and commitment. It is difficult. This isn't by accident. It is by design. It helps the coaches to determine who is
committed to becoming great and who isn't willing to put in the work.
Once Colts players bought in, the results followed.
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Indianapolis finished top 10 in takeaways all four years Eberflus and Williams were together. They were top 10 in total defense three of those years. The run was characterized by speed, violence, and 11 guys going to the football. Now the plan is to spread that philosophy to the entire roster. Not just the Bears defense. It will be all three phases. That will be a stark departure from what those players experienced under Matt Nagy.
While they may have worked hard in the past, the former head coach was known for not holding guys accountable. That will change. Alan Williams' job is to hold his players to a high standard. Just like Eberflus will with the entire roster. Nothing less than championship effort is acceptable moving forward. If some players don't like it, then they probably won't be around much longer. The Bears hired these men to raise the bar. That is exactly what they intend to do.
Having talent won't be enough anymore. Effort will be measured as well. Something that was never really a problem with the previous regime. Things have indeed changed.
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