LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus remembered the transition going from Toledo to Missouri as an assistant under Gary Pinkel.
From winning 10 games with a MAC powerhouse to taking a beating against the powers of the Big 12 the next few years, it was an eye-opening experience.
“It really goes back (to) acquiring players, and also coaching your butt off, just keep staying the course,” Eberflus said. “The one thing I learned from Gary was, man, you have to stay the course. What do you stand for? What are your principles? And you better stand on top of those. And you have your eyes forward all the time. That’s what I learned from him. I worked for him for almost 18 years, and he was great that way.”
Missouri eventually developed into a winner. And Eberflus hopes the Bears do the same.
Chicago (2-4) has lost three in a row heading into a Monday night matchup with New England. The Patriots’ Bill Belichick, with 324 wins counting the playoffs, has a chance to move past Bears founder George Halas for second on the all-time wins list. Consider it just another milestone for a coach with six Super Bowl championships.
The 52-year-old Eberflus, meanwhile, is just getting started.
He’s in his first head coaching job after spending the past four seasons as Indianapolis’ defensive coordinator. He had a seven-year run coaching linebackers with Dallas prior to that. Eberflus was also on staff in Cleveland.
He was a linebacker at Toledo and began his coaching career at his hometown school and alma mater under Pinkel. The Rockets became a perennial MAC contender, going 11-0-1 in 1995 and winning 10 games in 2000 before Pinkel left for Missouri and brought Eberflus with him.
The Tigers had losing records their first two seasons and spent a few more years in the seven- to eight-win range before a 12-2 breakthrough in 2007 that culminated with a Cotton Bowl win.