Watch: Matt Eberflus Thanks Bears Fans After Week 1 Win
Matt Eberflus kicked off his first Monday presser by thanking Chicago Bears fans. The Bears beat the 49ers 19-10 on Sunday and Eberflus loved the effort of Chicago’s 12th man.
“I really appreciate the fans,” the head coach said in his opening remarks. “Man that was fun. The weather, [the crowd] was loud, and I really want to thank the fans again.”
Eberflus then talked about awards for the player of the game, and game balls, which are awarded after the coaches have watched the film. The players who were recognized for their Week 1 efforts were Justin Fields, Dominique Robinson, Jaquan Brisker, and Eddie Jackson. In fact, Eberflus said all the rookies played very well, and gave credit to GM Ryan Poles and his scouts for this year’s draft.
He said that after evaluations some players have work to do, while others excelled. Players are graded according to the head coach’s HITS philosophy. He wouldn’t name any players directly, but he did mention that some graded in the 90% range. That means one loaf or less for every 10 snaps. I’d guess D-Rob was one of the players. I’d bank on Jaylon Johnson and Teven Jenkins, too.
Jaylon Johnson was not targeted in the Bears 19-10 victory over the 49ers.
Johnson's 26 coverage snaps without a target is tied for the 3rd-most in a game over the last three seasons for an outside cornerback.#SFvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/s6o8y6oZxT
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 12, 2022
He also praised the coaches and players for their preparation. That’s going to be a staple of this team and Eberflus said so. he mentioned he prepares more than most teams do, especially because the Bears are so young.
The head coach also talked about Khalil Herbert. He said Herbert used great vision and a quick adjustment to score his TD. He also said Herbert “had some big holes to run through,” another acknowledgment of the great blocking by his offensive line.
Eberflus said the team still needs to work on tackling fundamentals, such as getting to the right pad level. Another priority is finishing blocks. He cited Equanimeous St. Brown for his blocking on the touchdown pass to Dante Pettis. That said, Eberflus thinks his tacklers were lunging just a little too much on Sunday.
The Bears will start their preparations for the Packers today. Eberflus said he is more focused on what he wants his team to do than what the Packers may do.
“We’ll focus on how we play,” he added. “What we do, for what reasons, and our process. We write our own book, and we turn our own pages.”
The Bears will play Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Sunday night. The first-year head coach will make his national television debut in that tilt.
