Fear Of A Fine Apparently Fueled Khalil Herbert’s Long TD vs. Titans

The Chicago Bears #1 offense had themselves a day in the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. Things kicked off with a bang when D.J. Moore took a bubble screen 62 yards for a touchdown. It was easily the biggest yards-after-catch play this team has had in years. Nobody could’ve expected that another was right around the corner. On the next series, the Bears ran three plays before facing 2nd and 9. They called a screen to Khalil Herbert. Some quick pressure forced Justin Fields to roll left. He soon found Herbert wide open. Thanks to two blockers in front, the running back went 56 yards to paydirt.

One interesting part of the entire sequence came at the very end. Inside the 10-yard line, it looked like Herbert would get tackled before reaching the end zone. Then he seemed to redouble his efforts, fighting through tackles for the score. One would love to chalk that up to competitive spirit. In truth, there was a more grounded incentive for his sense of urgency. It turns out head coach Matt Eberflus has instituted a new team rule.

If you get tackled inside the 5-yard line after a long run, you will receive a fine. Herbert’s effort was meant to avoid money out of his pocket.

Khalil Herbert revelation again shows Matt Eberflus’ style.

The man has a knack for getting the right message across. Instilling such fines isn’t about being malicious. It is meant to convey a message. When you have a chance to score, you better do everything in your power to do so. There is no guarantee an offense can finish off the drive if you get tackled inside the 5-yard line. The fines are an effective reminder that the coaches always watch how much effort you give. Nothing less than 100% will be acceptable. It seems Herbert got the message loud and clear.

So did Moore, who made sure to keep it in the highest gear during his own long catch-and-run the series before. This is another sign that players are buying into the culture Eberflus is building. It was evident in all phases against Tennessee. The defense forced four turnovers and had nine sacks. Guys were flying to the football. It was the same on offense. They through hard, physical blocks and gave extra on their runs. Khalil Herbert was involved in both. If this was a taste of things to come, the Bears should be much better.