Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus spoke to reporters Monday after the 35-32 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Soldier Discipline.
Listed below are three issues we realized from Eberflus and his gamers.
1. The Bears disagreed with two official selections on go interference.
On the Bears’ second-to-last offensive play, vast receiver Chase Claypool went as much as catch a deep shot from quarterback Justin Fields, however Dolphins cornerback Keion Crossen had his arms wrapped round Claypool from behind.
Crossen appeared to tug Claypool down, and after the go fell incomplete, Claypool raised his arms in disbelief that officers didn’t name go interference.
Fields mentioned Sunday night time he believed it was interference after watching the replay on the video board, and Eberflus agreed.
“The contact was early and all that, however once more, that’s their opinion they usually … didn’t throw the flag on that one,” Eberflus mentioned. “We thought it ought to have been a flag. And that’s the way in which it's.”
The opposite play in query was a 47-yard go interference penalty on Bears security Eddie Jackson within the fourth quarter. Jackson mentioned he was enjoying the ball your entire time as an alternative of interfering with vast receiver Jaylen Waddle, and Eberflus indicated he didn’t know what Jackson ought to have finished otherwise.
“Eddie performed that actually good,” Eberflus mentioned. “I can’t actually coach him up any higher than that as a result of he turned again for the ball. He’s bought a proper to play the ball and he did play the ball. And it was their opinion that was defensive go interference they usually referred to as it. Once more, that’s their opinion.”
Eberflus mentioned the Bears ship such questionable calls and non-calls to the league for evaluate together with calls they thought had been made accurately.
2. Tight finish Cole Kmet felt comfy and productive in certainly one of his finest video games this season.
The Bears used Kmet in a wide range of methods. He caught 5 passes for 41 yards and two touchdowns and had two carries for 9 yards.
“Clearly within the pink zone getting used like that and getting used off of run motion, getting handoffs, enjoying quarterback for a play — yeah, it was undoubtedly distinctive,” Kmet mentioned. “We’ve been figuring this factor out courting again to OTAs, and we’re nonetheless persevering with to determine this factor out with everyone concerned, figuring our strengths out.
“It was loads of enjoyable yesterday for the offense, and clearly we’ve bought to complete it on the market on the finish.”
Eberflus mentioned he favored the creativity offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and his coaches displayed on the Bears’ first landing drive. Kmet had an 8-yard carry and took a direct snap to transform on third-and-1. Fields capped the drive by hitting Kmet with an 18-yard go.
“They’re going to maintain constructing upon that,” Eberflus mentioned. “These issues are actually good if you can provide guys completely different jet sweeps — you can provide one to a sure participant and a special participant, and that retains guys off steadiness. As a defensive man, you don’t know when the man goes in movement, is he going to just accept the jet sweep or is he merely going to go in movement or is it going to be a jet movement and a handoff?
“These artistic methods are actually good at stretching the width of the sphere, and people issues open up issues on the within, too, within the play-action go recreation.”
Kmet mentioned he talked to the opposite tight ends about how Getsy has a superb really feel for what to name at completely different occasions in a recreation.
“Typically you’re within the huddle, and also you’re like, ‘Oh, hell, yeah. That’s a good time to name this,’” Kmet mentioned. “He’s bought an important really feel for all that, and all of the gamers are actually believing in that.
“That confidence has simply been constructing. We’ve had it from the start. It’s simply persevering with to construct because the weeks have gone on.”
3. Chase Claypool can construct on what he did in a brief week of observe.
Claypool had solely three practices to stand up to hurry with the offense after the Bears acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers final week, but the Bears felt comfy placing him in for 26 snaps Sunday.
He had two catches for 13 yards on six targets, together with the play that wasn’t referred to as for go interference. Now Claypool has a full week to organize for Sunday’s recreation towards the Detroit Lions at Soldier Discipline.
“For him to have the ability to function in that brief period of time to get these performs down, we had loads of performs in there for him,” Eberflus mentioned. “He was good. … We’re going to simply hold constructing increasingly and extra on what he can deal with within the recreation plan. He’s clearly an thrilling man for our future right here.”
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