Matt Eberflus Has A Specific Number Of Super Bowls He Plans To Win
Mike Ditka made a speech to the Chicago Bears when he took over in 1982. Mike Singletary remembered it vividly. The new head coach promised to separate the men from the boys, even stating that many on the roster wouldn’t be there long. However, he also made a clear proclamation. If everybody stood with him and believed in him, the Bears would be in the Super Bowl three years later. Sure enough, they claimed their lone Lombardi Trophy in 1985. It appears Matt Eberflus is operating from a similar playbook.
The new Bears head coach comes across as old school. He believes in running the football, playing great defense, and being more physical than the opponent. That doesn’t mean he’s ignorant of the modern NFL reality. Coaches must accept that the quarterback position drives this league. That is why he is putting in countless hours to help Justin Fields get better. Defense alone can’t win championships anymore.
Still, Eberflus wants people to understand history.
The Bears were once the envy of the football world. They have more retired jerseys in the league than any other franchise. According to Peter King of NBC Sports, he has framed pictures of all nine of those players behind his desk at Halas Hall. When current team members visit him, he challenges them to name three. However, the message he is trying to send goes even deeper, and it’s a reminder of how clear Eberflus’ vision for the franchise is.
“Also behind his desk, in the middle of display of the great Bears, are two empty plexiglass shelves, small ones, and two empty spots at the base of the display. Eberflus wanted the two shelves for George Halas Trophies, emblematic of the NFC champions. And he wanted the spaces below to be there for two Super Bowl trophies.
That’s right: Super Bowl trophies. They don’t call them Lombardi Trophies around here, by the way.”
It doesn’t get more straightforward than that. Most head coaches will say their primary goal is to win the Super Bowl. They keep it vague like that. Not Eberflus. He wanted to set a concrete goal for himself and the organization. This Bears team will win two championships before he hangs up the headset. It is hard not to feel excited about that.
Matt Eberflus has a vision. That matters.
Many head coaches are grateful merely to get the job a team gives them. Their goal is obvious from there. Build a winner and chase the Lombardi trophy. Few clearly know what they want two or three years into the future. Eberflus is not that guy. From the beginning, he said his goal was to coach in Chicago for a decade. That is why roster decisions this off-season were made with the long view in mind.
Now it’s clear his plans go even further than that. No coach ever goes into his job thinking that he will establish a dynasty. However, it is not unreasonable to think he can win two championships. During the Super Bowl era, there have been a total of 12 head coaches that won at least two. It is a lofty goal but not an impossible one. That is often the best way to approach the job. Set the bar high but not entirely out of reach. Another reminder Matt Eberflus is smart.
Setting goals creates a sense of purpose. They set a direction.
Too often, over the past 30 years, it has felt like the Bears lacked direction. No coach ever seemed to have the bigger picture in mind. Their entire focus was on the current season and the next game on the schedule. Eberflus has a plan, and every decision he makes is geared toward making it a reality.