Matt Eberflus gets a lot of grief from people because he's a defensive head coach. That automatically makes him unqualified to oversee the development of a young quarterback. It is the simplest and laziest narrative in the modern NFL despite mountains of evidence suggesting otherwise. Bill Belichick helped Tom Brady become the GOAT. Pete Carroll got the most out of Russell Wilson. Ron Rivera turned Cam Newton into an MVP. Sean McDermott has overseen the rise of Josh Allen. The list goes on. Good coaches are good coaches, regardless of their backgrounds.
If people need evidence that Eberflus understands the big picture, they need look no further than how the organization has operated during the NFL draft. Here is an interesting history lesson: Since 1993, the Chicago Bears have employed seven head coaches. Five of them had a defensive background. Here is what side of the ball the first three 1st round picks they were involved with played on.
Dave Wannstedt
- Offense
- Defense
- Offense
Dick Jauron
- Offense
- Defense
- Offense
Lovie Smith
- Defense
- Offense
- Offense
John Fox
- Offense
- Defense
- Offense
Matt Eberflus
- Offense
- Offense
- Offense
Each of those coaches got one defensive player into the mix—except Eberflus. He signed off on GM Ryan Poles' investment heavily in the offensive side of the ball with Darnell Wright, Caleb Williams, and Rome Odunze. It would've been easy for him to push for more help on defense. Instead, he saw the big picture.
If Matt Eberflus wants to win, he needs his quarterback to be successful.
That requires a strong foundation and supporting cast. Williams walks into, by far, the best situation any #1 overall pick has ever had. His offensive line features four returning starters. Odunze joins D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen at wide receiver. Cole Kmet is entrenched at tight end. All of this is coordinated by Shane Waldron, who got a Pro Bowl out of Geno Smith in 2022. It's hard to imagine this situation unfolding with guys like Wannstedt, Fox, or Smith in charge. They would've urged management to invest more heavily in the defense.
That doesn't seem to bother Matt Eberflus. He feels the defense has enough talent to be effective. He's also confident in developing talents drafted outside the 1st round. Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson, Gervon Dexter, and Jack Sanborn are great examples. They also traded for Montez Sweat and signed two quality free agents, Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. The Bears have given him plenty to work with. There is no sense in being greedy.
If this offense starts producing as many believe it will, don't forget it was the unselfish mentality of the head coach who helped make it happen.
Comments
Join the discussion below. Keep it civil and focused on the content.
Loading comments...