One thing you can say about Matt Eberflus is that he’s not a man stuck in his ways. While he may employ a defensive scheme some would consider dated, he’s found ways to update it over the years to make it continually viable. He always keeps an open mind to new ideas, and that is why he has found success in the NFL. However, his toughest task is still ahead. His job rests on whether or not he can help Caleb Williams develop into a legitimate franchise quarterback.
The Chicago Bears head coach has followed a good process. He hired a proven offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron. He and GM Ryan Poles worked all off-season to acquire offensive assets like Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift, and Rome Odunze. Nobody can say Eberflus shortchanged the efforts to help his young quarterback. Still, he knows more goes into this than that. So, he decided to reach out to a familiar face: legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Eberflus played under him briefly at Toledo years ago.
“I texted him right after he retired and I said anytime you want to come up and visit coach, please do. He did that. He came up and visiting and spent about two and a half hours together. Basically our conversations were on leadership of the football team and really his process and his cadence and rhythm of working with a quarterback, you know, with Tua (Tagovailoa), with Jalen (Hurts), and what was his experience during that time during the camp phase of it and also during the season.
“I gleaned a lot of information and a lot of wisdom from him and it was great to see him. He’s been a mentor of mine for a long time.”
After all, contrary to popular myth, the man knows what to do and what not to do regarding quarterbacks. Before his epic ascent at Alabama, he made a run at the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 2006. The team needed a quarterback. He was famously part of the decision to pass on free agent Drew Brees in favor of Daunte Culpepper. Brees went on to a Hall of Fame career in New Orleans. Culpepper was haunted by injuries, and Saban never went anywhere in Miami. Those lessons helped his approach in Tuscaloosa, where he recruited event Pro Bowlers Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. He also turned Bryce Young into a Heisman winner.
Keep in mind that Saban isn’t some offensive genius. He was a defensive coordinator for years before entering the head coaching ranks. He was in the same spot Matt Eberflus was once upon a time. If anybody can offer tips on how to handle Williams, it’s him. One can only hope the Bears head coach took them to heart and will be able to implement them into his plans. Try to imagine what Williams would’ve looked like under Saban’s direction. That would’ve been unfair.
