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The Chicago Bears, under new coach Matt Eberflus, wrapped up their April minicamp Thursday afternoon at Halas Hall. Overall it wasn’t an eventful week, but the team got important work done on the field and in the classrooms as the 2022 reboot continues.
Here are four notable things we learned this week.
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The Bears’ media policy prevents us from sharing much detail from Thursday’s closed practice, but rest assured it wasn’t the finest hour for Fields or the passing offense. An abundance of sloppiness offered a loud reminder that this is a major work in progress.
Yes, this was a small collection of April practices under a new coach and offensive coordinator. The Bears are installing a new offensive system with an incomplete stable of playmakers. Thus no major conclusions should be drawn from a handful of erratic moments on a spring Thursday.
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Still, the Bears’ long-term prospects are tied tightly to the speed of Fields’ development. And this week was a reminder that all the optimism about where Fields might be in his growth over the next year or two will be hard to validate until on-field progress is noticeable.
Fields acknowledged earlier this week that learning a new offense in his second season is an unfortunate detour after spending such a big chunk of 2021 trying to figure out former coach Matt Nagy’s scheme.
“It would be easier if it was the same offense as last year and we were just able to grow on that,” Fields said. “But it’s kind of a reset with learning this new offense and picking it up.”
Loosely translated: Bumpy patches are to be expected. And Eberflus is well aware of that.
With the entire team, Eberflus has emphasized the need to adopt a growth mindset, a concept that applies directly to Fields in the upcoming months.
“What does that mean?” Eberflus said. “That means that I’m going to learn from my performance — good, bad or indifferent. I’m going to take one rep at a time and learn from it. What can I take from that rep? As you watch this tape with your coaches, how can you grow and get better?
“Even if I throw a touchdown or I make a (tackle for a loss) or I throw an interception or I get beat over the top for a touchdown, there’s learning that takes place within that performance. We have to do a great job of learning through those performances.”
Eberflus said he didn’t sense any frustration from Fields and the offense during Thursday’s mild turbulence. He also acknowledged the challenge Fields faces in having to absorb a new offense after 10 starts as a rookie in a different system.
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“It’s the process of it,” Eberflus said. “It’s just like when you’re learning anything new — a new skill, an athletic skill or intellectual skill. For everybody, that takes time. It’s a process. You have to go through that. Just learn one day at a time.”
Shaky sessions like Thursday’s are far more tolerable in mid-April than they will be in mid-August or beyond. For now, they are simply representative of the inevitable bumps in the road.
Next week will mark the fifth anniversary of the Bears drafting Jackson. Former general manager Ryan Pace traded up to select the Alabama safety at No. 112 in Round 4.
Now Jackson is the last survivor of a 2017 Bears draft class that included quarterback Mitch Trubisky, tight end Adam Shaheen, running back Tarik Cohen and offensive lineman Jordan Morgan.
“It’s crazy to really think about that,” Jackson acknowledged after practice Thursday.
It’s also crazy to think Jackson is heading into his sixth season with his third head coach and fourth defensive coordinator. That leaves him with, in Eberflus’ words, “a clean slate” to reestablish himself and show the new regime what’s next in his career.
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The first impression he hopes to make? “I’m willing to buy in,” Jackson said. “Whatever it takes. Whatever they ask of me, I’m willing to do it.”
Jackson’s early rise was impressive. He recorded eight interceptions, forced three fumbles, recovered four fumbles and scored five touchdowns in his first two seasons with Vic Fangio as his defensive coordinator.
His production the last three years — two picks, one touchdown — hasn’t measured up. In addition to the fall-off in ball production, his tackling has been inconsistent and he hasn’t reliably prevented big plays.
Jackson said his 2021 season “wasn’t the best at all.”
“That was probably one of my worst seasons,” he said. “I gave up too many deep balls. I’m just trying to eliminate that.”
As he fits into a new defense under Eberflus and coordinator Alan Williams, Jackson feels increasingly comfortable with how much he’s being asked to scan from the back end.
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“(Now) you just see what’s in front of you and play,” he said.
Eberflus said he has noticed a greater hunger in Jackson this month.
“I can see it in his attitude and his demeanor,” Eberflus said. “I could see it in his eyes when I talk to him that he is energized. He sees this as a fresh start for him. I can see it in his practice, too, with just the way he’s carrying himself.”
Those are Eberflus’ words. They’ve been repeated for emphasis this week. And they will continue to be underscored for players throughout the rest of the spring and summer.
Since taking the job in January, Eberflus has been intentional with the messages he’s hammering home for his team. By now, Bears players and fans are well aware of the coach’s H.I.T.S. principle — a desire for players to operate with hustle, intensity, a takeaway mentality and situational smarts.
Eberflus’ goal of leading an “effort-based team” also revolves around the concept of finishing, of pushing as hard as possible through the end of every drill and every practice rep with a focus on the little details.
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Once again, finish matters.
“We detail that out with the players,” Eberflus said. “That’s by position. And we’ll talk to the guys about that: ‘This is a good finish here, this one needs to improve.’”
Asked for a specific example of a finishing correction he might make with players at this stage, Eberflus was happy to dive in, using an outside toss play to the right as his example.
“The offensive line is going (to the right). And so you’ve got a defensive end on the back side and they’re not blocking him,” Eberflus said. “(The offensive linemen) are going to go climb to the linebackers. And that defensive end is chasing that play. Typically that play cuts up around the numbers or inside the numbers, right?
“So let’s say the thing cuts up there and the defensive player could have made that play but he stops right around the split and he doesn’t finish. He stops a little short but he could have made the play. We’ll just tell him … ‘Hey, you’ve got to finish those last 3 yards. We want you to accelerate all the way to and through the tag.’ That would be an example of that.
“Another example would be a receiver on the back side blocking that same play. He’s supposed to climb up to the safety. But say he gets halfway in the middle of the field and he stops. Well, that’s not good enough. You have to keep on going to that safety and finish that block. That matters. That matters in the NFL. It matters at every level. We can do that better than anybody else does. And that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
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When the Bears traded standout pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers last month, it was a symbolic page flip and an indicator the team is building for the future. It also presented increased opportunity for others to step up in Mack’s absence.
Robert Quinn enjoyed a remarkable 2021 season, setting a single-season team record with 18½ sacks. But after Mack went on injured reserve with a foot injury in November, Gipson took his game to a new level and finished his second season with seven sacks and five forced fumbles.
“I like him a lot,” Eberflus said. “With the film I saw from last year, we know he had the sack production. He’s an athletic, long player who’s able to capture the edge, able to level rush and has a good motor on him. So we’re excited about his athletic ability on the corner.”
The Bears drafted Gipson in the fifth round two years ago out of a 4-3 system at Tulsa in which he was a traditional hand-on-the-ground defensive end. Over the last two years, he put in a significant effort to change himself into a reliable outside linebacker in a 3-4 system.
Now, with Eberflus bringing a 4-3 defense back, Gipson is finding the adjustments smooth and natural.
[ [Don’t miss] Will the Chicago Bears try to move into the 1st round? Brad Biggs’ NFL mock draft 2.0. ]
“It’s actually more comfortable for me,” Gipson said this week. “I can get off (the ball) faster with my hand in the dirt. In a two-point (stance), I’m looking around. There’s a bunch of movement in the backfield (to account for). Now I can create more explosion when I have a hand in the dirt.”
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As Gipson carves out a new role, Eberflus is eager to see how much Gipson can move around as a pass rusher.
“It’s really just trying to figure out where he fits holistically in our defense,” Eberflus said.
