Lots of people around the NFL and college football have worked with Matt Eberflus over the past 30 years. When given a chance to talk about what could make the 51-year old a successful head coach for the
Chicago Bears, the same comment seemed to come up over and over. A great teacher. The man was consistently excellent at taking players with limited experience or iffy production and molding them into capable starters at various stops in his coaching career.
He was a massive help to Jaylon Smith recovering from his devastating knee injury in Dallas. Rock Ya-Sin only started one year in college when Indianapolis took him in the 2nd round. He just finished his best season to date with an 88.8 passer rating allowed. Al-Quadin Muhammad was a former 6th round castoff from New Orleans. The Colts picked him up in 2018, and he just posted a career-high six sacks last season.
Eberflus can mold football players if the talent is there.
He might be asked to do that this year. The Bears are likely to focus most of their resources on the offensive side in hopes of helping Justin Fields. That means only later round picks might go towards the defense. In other words, GM Ryan Poles will take some calculated risks on talented players with upside in hopes the head coach can develop them. One name that stands out as an ideal
option is Amare Barno.
Barno got the NFL world buzzing at the scouting combine when he ran a blistering 4.36 in the 40-yard dash. Remember, he's 6'5 and 246 lbs. It was the fastest time ever recorded for an edge rusher. Throw in the fact he has 34-inch arms, and Matt Eberflus has to see enormous potential in the young man. The problem is he never quite lived up to it in college. Just 10 sacks in two years and a significant regression from 16.5 tackles for a loss in 2020 to 5.5 in 2021. His inconsistent technique and hot-cold motor don't help.
He would take time to get on the right track. Not that this is a bad thing for the Bears. They have Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack set at defensive end this season. Barno would get a chance to learn from them and spend time honing his craft. By the time those two were out of the picture, his development should be complete. This is the sort of pick that would come down to trust. Eberflus has proven worthy of it in the past.
Loading comments...