Video Shows Matt Eberflus Teaching H.I.T.S Principle To Bears Players

One of the reasons GM Ryan Poles hired Matt Eberflus as Chicago Bears head coach was he had a specific style of teaching players. There wasn't any magic psychological formula. It was a simple, straightforward approach that stemmed from an acronym Eberflus created years ago. He revealed it during his introductory press conference last year. It's called the H.I.T.S principle. That represents the four core values of this team. Everybody will HUSTLE, everybody will play with INTENSITY, everybody will be mindful of THE BALL, and everybody will be SMART.

You will win games if all 11 players on the field adhere to the H.I.T.S philosophy. He's seen this play out for years. Eberflus watched it work as a defensive coordinator in Indianapolis. It worked for Lovie Smith in Chicago. It also worked for Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay and Indianapolis, one of the originators of this coaching philosophy. The challenge with H.I.T.S is the simplicity. It can come off as a bit hoky at first. How do you sell it to modern players? Well, the Bears provided a glimpse of that on their latest episode of 1920 Football Drive. Eberflus' conviction throughout the session is evident.

It is easy to understand why players seem to have bought in.

Matt Eberflus is proving both his conviction and teaching ability.

It's one thing to create the H.I.T.S principle. Selling it to a bunch of grown men is the hard part. By watching how the Bears have practiced and played for the past month, it's obvious Eberflus got his message across. Everybody is going fast in drills. Players are showing a level of intensity that wasn't there a few years ago. Guys are trash talkers. They're hitting. The defense forced four turnovers in their first game of the year. Most importantly, the team demonstrated intelligence in key situations.

There is plenty of work still to do. Matt Eberflus knows this. The Bears are a young team. Their mastery of H.I.T.S won't happen overnight. It will take time, patience, and hard work. Yet seeing this much progress barely a year into the project is encouraging. It is also a good reminder of how Eberflus is a man of his word. He promised this philosophy would be the core of his team's success. The man hasn't strayed from that statement even once since taking over. Now we're starting to see why.