This Matt Eberflus Quote On Caleb Williams Is A Gigantic Red Flag
Last Sunday, Caleb Williams was the only good thing about the Chicago Bears offense. He threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, the fact he had to throw it 52 times because of a non-existent running game led to three turnovers (two INTs and a strip sack). While some people harped on those mistakes, most watching the game saw a young quarterback showing plenty of progress in less-than-ideal conditions. Conditions which Matt Eberflus has done nothing to improve.
The Bears head coach made wholesale changes to the offense this off-season, firing Luke Getsy in favor of Shane Waldron. He felt that would help pave the way for Williams’ arrival. As it turns out, the bigger problem may have been him all alone. When discussing his young quarterback’s performance, Eberflus was asked about the second interception in which he threw a tight-window pass that hit Rome Odunze in the hands but bounced to a defender instead. Rather than praise Williams for his accuracy, all the head coach could do was lament the turnover.
“I think it was an aggressive throw, I really do. I think he was open, but again, those windows close in the NFL. The safe option would have been taking the back in the flat in that particular case. We went through the motion and they ended up shifting their coverage over there. So on that particular play — again, aggressive throw. He’s gotta have some wisdom there and discernment in terms of when he needs to make that throw. You never want to take away his aggressiveness, but he has to be really good with the football. That’s his No. 1 job as a quarterback.”
This is precisely why Matt Eberflus is terrible for Williams.
One of the biggest concerns about keeping him as head coach was the knowledge that he sees the game with a defensive mentality. Defensive coaches have a tendency to become overly obsessed with not turning the ball over, which can lead them to instruct their quarterbacks to focus less on scoring points and more on protecting the ball. Lovie Smith was the exact same way. So was John Fox. History shows that is rarely the best way to foster a healthy atmosphere for a young quarterback to grow. Offensive coaches understand that learning to be aggressive is a great way for QBs to build confidence and understand what they can get away with.
Matt Eberflus is proving that he is not the guy for Williams. He believes the Bears can still win the old way. Play great defense, run the football, don’t turn it over. This isn’t 1985. Hell, it’s not even 2005. You don’t win consistently that way in today’s NFL. You need a quarterback who can sling the football. It appears the Bears finally have one who can do that, but the head coach seems hell-bent on neutering him. If you were on the fence about Eberflus before, this is a red flag you cannot overlook.