Eberflus says no starters will play in HOF game, talks camp observations |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - The Chicago Bears have decided who will start the Hall of Fame game against the Houston Texans on Thursday, Aug. 1 (7 p.m./ABC). None of the starters will play.
The Texans are also not expected to play most of their starters, including quarterback CJ Stroud. “Starters are not playing in the Hall of Fame game,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “We feel really good about where they are right now in terms of the pads practices. We’ve had three so far and then we have another one tomorrow and have a lot of good work, ones-on-ones, twos-on-twos and a lot of good situations. We got a headstart there because we are in the Hall of Fame game, which I think is very fortunate for us this year to be able to add those reps, time on task as we say, to our football team. So, we’re super excited about that and it’s a great opportunity really for the guys, the role players that we’re going to have on our team and the guys that are fringe roster plays and those guys are going to be looked at by not only us, but, of course, the whole league. So, I think that’s a really good opportunity for those guys.” Practice has been quite mixed. Overall, the defense seems to be performing better in training camp. However, that is not all that surprising, given that things changed far less on the defensive side of the ball than on the offense. That trend continued in their practice on Tuesday, July 30, when the offense experienced a lull. “In terms of practice (Tuesday), I thought it was good. It was really the first look at us in a little bit of heat, which was good to see. Guys got to learn how to push through that, how to call us up and how to really just push through it and still have sustained enthusiasm. That’s what I talked to the team about after practice. You felt a little lull in there. Defense was running pretty hot all day, but we had a little lull in there, making some big plays on offense and we’re not having any passion and playing the game the right way. So, we talked about that with those guys and then, they (finished) right,” Eberflus said. “They came back in the two-minute drill, did a really nice good finishing, ones and twos and also in the two-point play. We were simulating a defensive score and then getting it reset under 40 seconds to be able to get our two-point play in there and making sure we had that on time. So, that’s what we were doing at the end. But, overall, I thought it was a good, solid practice. I’m always looking to improve, always have a sense of urgency to improve every stack and the guys are doing that.” When an offense is working with a rookie quarterback, sometimes things can take longer to gel as they adjust to the NFL's speed. While that is certainly happening for Chicago right now, Eberflus maintains that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has been making a lot of progress thus far in training camp and is right on track with where the Bears want him to be at this stage. “He’s really made some big strides here. We’re talking about a massive amount of reps in the first eight or nine practices that we’ve had because we have it set up for the walkthroughs prior to practice (and) also in the evening, we get a massive amount, good-on-good on the show team and different looks and going through the operation of the offense and him really just keep investing in the team in his way (which is) to know the scheme, know his fundamentals, know it cold and just keep operating that way and to me, he’s really starting to pick up his leadership too because now he feels comfortable in the offense,” Eberflus said. “You can see him really starting to help coach other guys, encourage other guys, bring guys together, which he’s done in the past and that’s a good sign too.” Williams, who spent his last two seasons in Los Angeles, brought the cameras with him to Chicago, where the Bears will be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks. For some teams, this may cause players and coaches to act differently on camera. However, Eberflus emphasized to the team the need to be authentic and real when the Hard Knocks was filming. “I told the guys in the beginning, just be authentic. Be yourself. That’s good enough,” Eberflus said. We’re working. We got winning habits here, and (when you) keep doing the right things, things are going to go right, and just do that.” The first episode will premiere on Tuesday, Aug. 6 (8 p.m./Max). New episodes will be released on Tuesdays, and the show will have five episodes in total. The first official trailer was released on Tuesday, July 30.
