LAKE FOREST, Ill. — T.J. Edwards remembers the feelings he had after the Week 1 loss against the Packers to open the Bears’ 2023 NFL season.
A 38-20 loss at Soldier Field against their NFC North rival left a “bad feeling” for Edwards.
“So, I definitely want us to start fast,” Edwards said. “I know as a defense we want to do that. As a team we want to do that. It’s easier said than done. You got to go out there and you got to do it.”
The 2023 Chicago Bears did the exact opposite of starting fast — losing their first four games to start the season and doing so by being outscored 137-75. The Bears understand that can’t happen this season, especially knowing that the first of six divisional games against the NFC North comes in Week 11 and continue over those final 8 weeks of the season.
When head coach Matt Eberflus thinks about the season ahead, he mentioned it’s all about finding a “rhythm” and it starts with the Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
“But really you just gotta micro it down to playing the first game, you know, and starting fast,” Eberflus said. “That’s what all the good teams do — they start fast. The teams that make it to the postseason, they start fast. Of course, you’ve got to finish strong, but having a fast start [is] always important in the NFL.”
The defense is setup to have that fast start. This will be the unit’s third year in Eberflus’ defense, and for players like Edwards, who is in his second season with the Bears, that continuity is huge.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve said this before, the chemistry is something that’s big in this league,” Edwards said. “Understanding how guys in front are going to play, understanding just how the D-line fits certain things and at backer, knowing how we’re fitting every play. I think from this point last year to this year, it was a way different ballgame. So, I think our comfort level is just so much better. Having a good comfort level with the coaches, understanding the scheme fully and getting those new guys acclimated and ready to go. So, I think honestly the comfort level, the chemistry that we’ve built in the offseason and now just the understanding of how our guys play, for sure.”
The defense since the start of training camp has had the edge over Caleb Williams and the offense, which that was to be expected for a multitude of reasons. Having a defense that a rookie quarterback can rely on will only help Williams do his job.
Eberflus understands his quarterback has arm talent and can make plays on the move, but there is a way the head coach envisions Williams playing.
“In the early parts of the game and early downs, he’s just asked to play point guard, have a great operation, play a point guard, get the ball to our skill, either by handing it off or throwing it to them and letting them do the running and moving around and gaining the yards,” Eberflus said. “It’s going to be big that our offensive line plays well like I’ve said in the past and everybody plays well around them — that’s defense and special teams included. And then when you get to the point in the game where it is a critical down or a third down or in the red zone or whatever that might be, then you might see X-factor come out and that’s where it is. But again he’s just about the process of getting in and out of the huddle, being smooth and operating the offense.”
It’s not just Eberflus who wants Williams to be a distributor but also general manager Ryan Poles, who was asked about his expectations for the quarterback in his rookie season on Wednesday.
“I want him to lean on the talent around him and then when the time is right – and that’s an instinctual thing and I think that plays right into him – that’s when you do the special, and balancing that,” Poles said. “And sometimes it’s gonna get out of whack one way or the other, but always come back to that. It’s kind of like that neutral place where he’s at his best, and I think he has that just from studying him and watching years of tape on him. He has that ability and so I think that’s kind of the big thing. Lean on the guys around him, be instinctual, let those wild plays happen at the right time. We saw it in the preseason a little bit. That’s gonna be important.”
Eberflus and Poles see nothing wrong with Williams leaning on the assets around him, and for the Bears to get off to a fast start, that may be the best formula to ensure the team makes that happen.
