Matt Eberflus Doesn’t Sound Pleased With Sam Mustipher
Matt Eberflus isn’t the kind of coach who chews guys out in public. He prefers to keep things in-house. However, he came as close as he’s liable to get to that after the Chicago Bears’ frustrating 20-12 loss to the New York Giants. It was a day marked by bad execution on both sides of the ball. The defense couldn’t stop the run. The offense couldn’t protect Justin Fields, who was sacked six times. While Eberflus didn’t mention specific names, he didn’t have to.
During his Monday press conference, the head coach was asked about the offensive line’s performance. He lamented how good it would look in certain situations and then failed to find any consistency. That was when he zeroed in on a specific area of the front.
“I talked to the players about consistency of execution. We were executing well at times, but we need to do it more consistently. That was the big message today.”
“It was good in spots. We had good protection at times. But obviously it broke down some in the middle at times. One of their inside rushers had a pretty good day. We have to be firm there.”
That is a clear reference to center Sam Mustipher. The third-year blocker had arguably the worst game of his career on Sunday. Pro Football Focus credited the Bears with 15 pressures allowed on the quarterback. Mustipher was responsible for six of them. Giants defenders, particularly defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, abused him all afternoon.
Matt Eberflus isn’t blind to the Bears’ reality.
There is a reason the offense has seemed vanilla and conservative at times. The simple fact is the team doesn’t have the talent to execute many of the plays they have in the playbook. Mustipher is a perfect example of this. He’s tough, tenacious, and intelligent. The problem is that only goes so far in the NFL. He is also undersized, underpowered, and an average athlete. That is why he looks overmatched every time he runs into somebody with plenty to spare in those categories.
It is a tough reality for Matt Eberflus. Without any good alternatives, his best option is to coach the player up. Sometimes that requires some public admonishment. Mustipher isn’t dumb. He knows he has to play better. That said, his time with the Bears feels more finite than ever. GM Ryan Poles circled the offensive line as a big part of his restoration plans. After watching Sunday’s game, center figures to be high on his list.