It looks like the Chicago Bears finally have a competent coaching staff
Matt Eberflus helped the Colts’ defense become one of the league’s best during his three seasons as their defensive coordinator, and the hope (and expectation) is that he will have a similar effect on Chicago’s unit. His HITS principal profoundly impacted Indy’s defense, and linebacker Darius (Shaquille) Leonard credits the formula for making him the player he is today.
The formula emphasizes hard work and playing through the whistle, which is a great mantra for a young roster with players hungry to prove themselves. It takes a certain type of personality to pull off such a philosophy, and those who can do so tend to be strong leaders and successful head coaches.
Despite the success Eberflus achieved in Indianapolis, there was a mixed reaction when he was announced as the head coach for the Chicago Bears, as he was relatively unknown compared to the hundreds (thousands?) of other candidates who interviewed for the position. Likewise, many believed signing a defensive head coach would not be in the best interest of second-year quarterback Justin Fields.
Nevertheless, it was clear that Eberflus had a plan in mind for the offense, and they were in contact with several big names on the coaching carousel before agreeing to terms with former Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy for the offensive coordinator position. He comes directly from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree (through Matt LaFleur in Green Bay) and will sculpt his own version of the offense in Chicago. Many believe it is only a matter of time before he leads his own team, and he already received interest in the Broncos vacancy this offseason.
Getsy is the perfect candidate to build an offense around Justin Fields (also known as Josh Fields if the Monday night booth is calling the game), as he will emphasize play-action to catch defenses off guard and utilize pre-snap motion to create mismatches. While the sample size has been small thus far, it actually looks like Chicago has a game plan on offense for the first time since 2018, and the hiring could finally help them acquire an offensive identity they have been yearning for.