The Bears hired former Colts DC Matt Eberflus on Thursday to be their new head coach. This was just a day after the Bears hired Ryan Poles to be their GM. With the leadership now solidified, more assistants have been hired, and the Matt Eberflus era has begun. Let’s take a look at DaBears’ new HC.

The first time head coach

I don’t put too much stock into this being Eberflus’ first head coaching job. All great coaches need to get their start somewhere, right? But in case you have already written him off, at least check out some fun Eberflus puns on Reddit. It will be fun to see which Eberflus pun will stick during his first season with the Bears. I suspect we’ll wait and see how the season is going at first. At least that’s what I’m doing before I commit.

And I think next season will be a good one for the Bears. I am not predicting a Super Bowl appearance, but I do think Eberflus can have this team competing for a playoff berth. He has over 30 years of football coaching experience, and NBCSports’ Peter King voted for him to be Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018. Further, there have been some positive quotes coming from Colts’ players that speak to his passion for the game and his ability to lead a team.

The defensive-minded coach

Not too long ago when the Bears’ head coach was an unknown, I mentioned that I do not like the “offensive and defensive” minded labels. All I wanted was for the Bears to hire someone who has a plan to set Justin Fields up for success. However, I’ll be honest and I say that I thought the Bears would go with a more “offensive-minded” hire.

Nonetheless, I get good vibes from Eberflus. Outside of the debacle against Jacksonville to end last season, the Colts put a solid defense on the field every week. Overall they finished 16th in total yards allowed per game but were 9th in scoring defense. They were ranked 8th in both categories the year before. Without diving too much into the stats, it’s safe to say that Eberflus knows how to run a defense. I think he has a great opportunity to improve a defense of the Bears that played quite well, all things considered, last season.

The Bears are defense

I know the Bears need to figure out their offense. And I don’t want to envision the future if Justin Fields doesn’t pan out. But, the Bears are always known for their defensive toughness. They need to continue to have that as their calling card, especially whilst developing a young quarterback. So again, I like the defensive marriage between Matt Eberflus and the defensive stars of the Bears.

Assuming Eberflus (and Ryan Poles) make smart use of their draft picks in April, I can see this defense being exactly what a team with a young quarterback needs. They’ll be able to keep the games close to allow the playbook to open up for Fields.

What everyone is talking about

So far I do not believe anyone absolutely HATES the Eberflus hire. But there are plenty of people that are still worried about who is going to run the offense. This hire is going to be just as important as the head coach hire.

It looks like the lead candidate, Luke Getsy, has the job if he wants to leave Green Bay. He was the passing coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season with the Packers. Regardless of whether or not it’s Getsy or someone else, I do believe that the OC Eberflus hires needs to have close to full control of the offense. I think Eberflus can be successful with the Bears if he brings his defensive expertise and leadership abilities every Sunday, but then also lets the offensive guys do their jobs.

Here’s what I like

Disclaimer: I do not have evidence to support the following claim; it is opinion only. I am very much on board with the Bears going with Eberflus instead of one of the exciting offensive-minded coordinators. I’m on board if for no other reason than I did not want the Bears to try and bring in another “guru.” Yes, I’m thinking directly of Matt Nagy, but also Marc Trestman. I believe he was hired to be some sort of “QB whisperer,” and obviously that did not work out.

So I think Eberflus represents a “safe” option for the Bears. He will be different from what they had last year, and I love the potential of this defense with him leading the way. Further, it sounds like Ryan Poles got his guy, which is important. I can’t promise it will all work out, but you definitely want your GM and coach working together, and this appears to be a good start for the future of the Bears.

Do you like the hire? Let me know either way @Jlime8 on Twitter!

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