5 things to watch for in Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers
By Todd Welter
The Chicago Bears enter the 2022 season with low expectations. That does not mean there will be any less excitement at Soldier Field when the San Francisco 49ers come into town.
The Chicago Bears underwent a major franchise overhaul during the offseason.
The Bears have a new general manager in Ryan Poles along with a new head coach in Matt Eberflus. Poles tore down the roster to the studs in hopes that new talent can take the NFC North and never give it back.
The Chicago Bears’ chances of winning the division this season are slim. The Bears will be lucky to win more than seven games this season. That does not mean this will be a wasted season.
There is plenty of intrigue for the Chicago Bears as they enter the 2022 and this Week 1 matchup with the 49ers.
Can Eberflus effectively manage a game?
Eberflus is a rookie NFL head coach. In today’s NFL where teams are looking for a young offensive genius to be head coach, the Bears went with a defensive mind. Eberflus is big on acronyms. He has won over the team with his HITS principle.
At first, Jaylon Johnson admitted he didn’t buy in to the HITS principle. He kept hearing about it from Matt Eberflus and his staff, but the meaning didn’t resonate.
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) August 23, 2022
"Now, it's becoming second nature." The Bears are believing in what their coach preaches. https://t.co/IHtI43ZSEU
Acronyms can only go so far.
Eberflus will have to show he can effectively manage a game. Eberflus will not be calling the defense. Those duties will be handled by defensive coordinator Alan Williams. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will call the offense.
That means Eberflus needs to be effective in the game management coaching portion. He needs to show he can manage the clock. He will also have to show he has a good process in place to throw the challenge flag. That was a concern in the preseason.
On the Coulter catch/no challenge call, Eberflus says they never got a second look at the play and chose not to throw the flag. Said if it was a real game, he would have considered it more even without that second look.
— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) August 19, 2022
Eberflus is going to be a CEO-type head coach like what Tennessee and Buffalo have. That means he will have to prove that his coaching staff can create solid game plans and make halftime adjustments.