Tuesday’s initial workout began with 10 minutes of special teams, followed by a 20-minute walkthrough in which concepts were introduced on both sides of the ball, including different types of passes on offense and fronts and coverages on defense. The two units did not line up against each other Tuesday, but they’re slated to do so Wednesday.
“Today, we stayed separate the entire day,” Eberflus said. “We did not go against each other at all, and that was designed. That was on purpose because we want to get our offensive plays down and our defensive calls down before we do that. Tomorrow, we’re going to do a short 7-on-7 and then we’ll do 11-on-11.”
After a crisp workout Tuesday, Eberflus told reporters that he feels his message has been well received by Bears players.
“It’s been a short time, but I feel that it’s been real receptive by the whole team,” he said. “We’re teaching them and what we’re telling them is that it’s winning football. It’s the rudiments of the game. It’s about blocking and tackling. It’s about doing the simple things better than anybody else does. They’ve been good.”
Asked how he can tell that players are buying in, Eberflus pointed to Tuesday’s practice, saying “today is a great example.”
“There was great execution out there for the first day,” he said. “A lot of times you’ll see other things that don’t show that, like snaps that are dropped, guys jumping offsides, defensively guys missing their assignments. I saw really good execution today. That’s a tribute to them paying attention to what we’re trying to do, offense, defense and kicking.”
Eberflus believes that the key to earning credibility with players is just by being himself.
“If you try to be somebody else and it’s not honest and truthful, I think you lose credibility,” he said. “I think when you’re honest and truthful and upfront with guys and you tell them exactly and you put it on the table so it’s plain to see, and then you challenge them to get that done, they appreciate that and they…