Matt Eberflus speaks on 2024 Team Captains | Chicago Bears

so our our prayers and condolences go out with the uh Nagel family Katie Nagel passed away this morning um she's had health complications and she's was most recently George's assistant and then before that worked here for over two decades uh so we want to recognize her uh for what a kind soul uh beautiful woman and just recognize her and her family and our condolences squat to them as she makes her transition uh captains we got captains um voted on those last week uh really good group of guys from Jaylen Johnson to DJ Caleb Williams KB the two backers and the two tight ends so it's I know it's a larger group that we're used to but we have uh a bigger group of leadership now that we've had these uh couple years here under our belt now we got this third year going so it really feels strong about those guys and they they know the first rule leadership's leading themselves and being the example we want to see in terms of work ethic in terms of leadership in terms of standing up when you have to speak but mostly lead by your actions you know how we do things and the standards we hold each other to um is so important and our best players gota got to show that every single day and they got to bring it so uh those guys do that and I'm excited about those guys uh being uh a big part of our leadership not all all of all the leadership but big part of that uh Labor Day practice today was good uh we had some good work uh really today's just about really uh getting back into it I always like to be able to throw the ball around a little bit do some individual focus on some fundamentals there and we of course we had the bonus week so we had some time to get uh a head start on Tennessee we did that last week a little bit with the Wednesday Thursday practice so we we feel good where we are guys will have tomorrow off uh get the bodies right uh gotta have a real physical practice on Wednesday in pads um and then Thursday we'll have a a good physical practice on uh situations there a little bit in shells and then we'll work on to a fast Friday uh into that weekend so uh feel good about that but uh with that open up the questions got Caleb as the captain have you ever been part of a team that had a rookie Captain before and why yeah I haven't had had that before uh but again I I put it to a vote um I had it with offense and defense and had the guys rank those guys and uh he came out really high so uh and all those guys did that's what's great about it and we had other guys that had great great votes too just not enough to get into that Captain's vote but uh that's a really good sign that he's got leadership throughout the entire team can you can you give some insight on your offseason planning for opponents as far as how you divide that up when do you guys get into 12 teams or whatever 13 14 teams that you're going to face and when you get the players when did you get the players started on Titans yeah so that's always a great question you know in terms of the balance of that uh we do it with without even knowing the players knowing it at times because we have a bunch of walkthroughs and we'll feature an opponent uh during that walk through uh we'll set up our our schemes against those guys their fronts and their coverages uh their particular favorite runs that they like to run their their play actions and screens and all the things that they do um you know so you always want to work on the first opponents uh typically you know we're playing the AFC you know early this year and we don't typically play those every single year so and that being our first three games we certainly put some work on those guys um you know then you work on an opponent that might have a unique type of scheme U during the course to training camp and I think it's always great looking ahead like that and again A lot of times the players don't know we're doing it you know we just got to work our our structures and our schemes against those guys but uh and then if you're uh then you of course work in your division too you're working in your division um same thing and we we get that during training camp we work on that exclusively against our division too does your staff dedicate specific days or weeks going back maybe to the spring say okay this week we're working on San Francisco this week we're working on Green Bay yeah we do we spent a few days on each opponent making sure we're getting it down um you know the guys it'll take the guys more time than that to be able to break those guys down in terms of their you know specific area you know like Simo obviously does our run our Run game and you know Dave banzi and Travis you know look at our defensive run you know run defense uh so yeah we go way back into the spring and we we we set that out this is your third year but does it feel like a bit of a a fresh start or a reset now as you guys have gotten the roster turned over you got quarterback dis regime picked does it feel like a bit of a fresh start almost a reset I would say that every Year's different you know and next year at this time is going to be different than this year you know we'll have players that have more experience we'll be you know have more different guys come in free agency so I think every every team's different I think you got to really reset that uh once you get into February March you know and then really get a feel for the guys you know into April and then we really start that April 15 and then start working that you know bringing the team together at that point um and that's a process we're very uh authentic about that we're very intentional about that and uh like I said I can feel this team coming together faster you know just because of the maturity of it and some of it's because of what you said her you we've been around each other for three years and you know that certainly helps uh that part of it that with with it's obviously been a a long and eventful Road from February and March to now what is your own personal Outlook and optimism and energy now going into a regular season test here I probably feels like a buildup for yeah we're we're all excited you know I could tell the guys are excited we had a team meeting this morning uh you know when I broke them down afterward you can tell the guys are excited just about the competition you know we're excited to compete together um in a football game and we're excited you know full strength and be able to do that and we're just excited about that opportunity we get this Sunday Larry Larry what do you got got cut off you obviously haven't been in the AFC South since 2021 and I think all four teams have changed coaches since then but does your experience there help at all preparing to play those teams this year especially early in the season it does I got some you know I've obviously played some of those players um that are on on the other sideline but that certainly helps so I got I'm familiar with that uh but again they they've changed that's why we did some extra work on those guys you know there's all new coaches and so it's it's adjusted and changed from that that standpoint Matt will you still do the honorary captains each week yeah I don't know I don't know I I don't I don't I may I haven't really I mean I've thought about it already but I don't know if I'm going to do that or not so right now we got eight captains and I think they're they're a solid group for Caleb what's the balance that you hope he strikes in being you know wearing the sea being a leader but also knowing that there's going to be growing pains probably for a rookie trying to figure out how to strike that balance himself what do you hope to impart on him about that process yeah just be yourself you know just be yourself be authentic and uh you know let it come to you which he's done um you know he's worked his tail off he's preparing you know he's got great passion you know in the practice and in the games and that'll all come to them naturally if you look at the big picture for your time here if you go back to when you were interviewing for this job and you're talking with Ryan and he's laying out his blueprint of how you guys are going to go from what you inherited to where you hope that you are now what did you think of that path knowing that it was going to be really difficult at first and you specifically might accumulate a lot of losses on your record yeah I mean it this is a team game right so you say all all that but I would say that uh we we knew what it was going to be how difficult it was going to be uh we laid out the plan in terms of what it was going to take and laying the foundation of our standards and how we operate as a football team and the uh how how to bring those guys together and that that's important part and we've always been together you know even though the winds weren't stacked up uh early on uh we've always played together we've always played the right way so add Talent uh year three then you know we should see a good product on the field now what about specifically coaching at defense when you're you take so much pride in defense that's been your expertise for all this time knowing going into it you were going to have such a stripped down roster that continued to lose pieces even as you wi yeah I mean you know you you have a roster that you coach and you coach those guys to the best of your ability and you you you keep coaching them and that's what we do and then look at the tape what can you improve and move to the next week that's all I know how to do and uh that's what I'm going to do this year too with regard with regard to the just the excitement that you feel like at the beginning you know every team is excited at this time of year no matter even if they're going to go four and what 13 whatever is there anything about the excitement you you sense on this team that is different than the normal season or the or your previous two seasons is you know is there anything different about that I would say the competition that we've had up to this point uh during training camp uh you can feel that that's that's real um going against each other and uh our players offensive players going against defensive players that competition um is real and the guys did a really good job of competing and really sharpening each other during that time and uh we're like I said we're excited about this competition coming up how much of it is is there is any of it a sense that this team could take a real big leap this year as opposed to the previous two years this be a playoff team this you know you could win 11 12 whatever games is that is that any part of it or or is that just something that they don't even want you don't even want to you know think about yeah I mean there's excitement but again we're focused on this opponent you know the opponent that's in front of us that's all we can do right so let's get get the Sunday and compete in that game and and then move on