Latest news with #Eberflus
USA Today
10 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Cowboys coordinator Matt Eberflus does this one thing extremely well
Matt Eberflus has earned the moniker of 'Linebacker whisperer' in his time as a position guru, defensive coordinator, and head coach in the NFL. Regardless of whether the player was drafted and developed by Eberflus, a veteran with success elsewhere, or a player he had to take to the next level, linebackers elevate while under his stewardship. As a linebacker coach and defensive coordinator, he helped develop Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson, Jaylon Smith, Bobby Okereke, and Shaquille Leonard. Lee was drafted the season before Eberflus became the linebacker coach at Dallas and developed into an all-time great when healthy. In their first season together, Lee had 104 tackles, 10 for a loss, four interceptions, and seven pass breakups. He was fifth in the 2016 voting for Defensive Player of the Year and had his only first-team All-Pro season. Carter was a starter under Eberflus for three seasons. He had a season with 96 tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups, and five tackles for a loss. He had five interceptions and eight pass breakups in another season with Eberflus. Without Eberflus, he never started more than three games or recorded 50 tackles. Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson were fourth-round picks who Eberflus developed into starters all four years of their rookie contracts, and they each went on to start and win a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jaylon Smith had two seasons with Eberflus, coming off a career-threatening injury. He was fifth in Comeback Player of the Year voting in 2017 and later developed into a Pro Bowler. As a defensive coordinator for the Colts, Eberflus oversaw the drafting and development of both Leonard and Okereke. Okereke became a linebacker who averaged over 120 tackles a season and has been in the top 10 in solo tackles three times in six seasons. Leonard developed into a star. He started 58 games and averaged 134.5 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, nearly three interceptions, 7.5 pass breakups, over four forced fumbles, and almost four sacks. He was a three-time All-Pro and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Dallas is very young at linebacker, with Marist Liufau, DeMarvion Overshown, and Shemar James having a season or less of experience on the field. Veterans Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn, and Damone Clark will also improve under his tutelage. There have also been journeyman linebackers who saw significant upticks while playing for Eberflus. David Bowens had one season as a full-time starter in 10 years. He was a defensive end who transitioned to linebacker when Eberflus took over as the position coach in Cleveland. Bowens went from a high of 43 tackles to 71 and had a career-high 12 QB hits in 15 starts. In the same 2009 season, Matt Roth played four games without a start for the Miami Dolphins before being released. He was claimed off waivers by the Browns, where he started the final six games with Eberflus as linebackers coach. The following year, he started all 16 games, and in that 22-game span, he accumulated 114 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 12 tackles for a loss. Anthony Spencer became a significant impact player and a Pro-Bowler in his second year working with Eberflus. He nearly doubled his highest sack total with 11 and had his highest tackles for a loss, too. His personal-best in tackles went from 67 to 95, and he did it in only 14 starts. Rolando McClain won Comeback Player of the Year in 2014 with Eberflus after missing seven games in 2012 and the entire 2013 season. All in all, Eberflus' influence should rear it's head pretty quickly with his new troops in Dallas.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Matt Eberflus denies neglecting Caleb Williams' development during his rookie season
Matt Eberflus denies neglecting Caleb Williams' development during his rookie season By now, saying Caleb Williams' rookie season with the Chicago Bears was a disaster is the professional football equivalent of beating a dead horse. So much so that discussing how the Bears put their best prospect at the quarterback position in decades in a position to fail right away is like talking in circles. From this point forward, no one, Williams included, will gain anything productive from excavating the depths of this conversation any further. I assure you. Enter disgraced former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who really has to learn the concept of "digging up, stupid." In a recent conversation with Ed Werder on The Doomsday Podcast, Eberflus gave his side of the story on the infamous "scandal" regarding how the Bears' offensive coaches left Williams to his own devices when he had to watch film. According to Eberflus, Williams mischaracterized the Bears' apparent (but still quite plausible with all context at hand) atmosphere of development neglect with their rookie quarterback. Uh, sure, pal. Everyone totally believes this perspective, which notably came a month later (and without taking any accountability for leaving Williams high and dry), even though Eberflus has been employed as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator since late January: "In the development of the quarterback position and really all positions in my time at the Bears, we always had daily coached film sessions," Eberflus said. "That was through the entire year. That was what I observed and that's where it was. That's really all I have to say about it. That's where it is." What's rich about Eberflus' characterization of the situation is how it reveals he's still not listening to his now-former quarterback. Because, as Williams explained last month, he technically never said that coaches didn't watch film with him. In context, he meant Eberflus's staff's guidance with this all-important football teaching tool was lacking, leaving Williams to try and fill in the blanks without any markers to watch for. This is something you never want to do with a young quarterback still learning the ropes. That's an important distinction, and one Eberflus conveniently didn't address: "That was a funny one [the film excerpt quote] that came out," Williams clarified during Bears organized team activities. "It wasn't that I didn't know how to watch film, it was more or less the sense of learning ways to watch film and be more efficient, learning ways to pick up things better. That was a funny one that came out, in context, and how I was trying to portray it, it didn't get portrayed that way. It wasn't that I didn't know how to watch film, it was trying to figure out the best ways and more efficient ways so that I can watch more film." In essence, Eberflus's late response once again shows why he should've never been the steward for Williams' initial development. He's still refusing to take accountability for his mistakes. He's still hearing Williams say one thing, then letting it go right out the other ear. If I didn't know any better, Eberflus still sounds like the same self-absorbed lackey hellbent on prioritizing his self-preservation at all costs, which should usually be a career death sentence for anyone trying to coach anything professionally. With all things considered, I guess that's why Ben Johnson seems like such a perfect fit for the Bears. Well, if Eberflus wants to say anything to Williams' face, his Cowboys will visit Chicago in Week 3 of this upcoming season. Here's hoping that the bitter reunion is as awkward as this whole film saga has been.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Coach Denies Caleb Williams Film Rumor
Cowboys Coach Denies Caleb Williams Film Rumor originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Matt Eberflus returned to the Dallas Cowboys as a defensive coordinator after previously being with the organization from 2011-2017. That time away included a stint as the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2022-2024. He was fired after Chicago's Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 13. Advertisement The Bears' 2024 was spotlighted by a turbulent rookie season from No. 1 overall pick and starting quarterback Caleb Williams. This offseason, things got even more hairy after rumors about the details of Williams' young career leaked. ESPN's Seth Wickersham alleged that Williams had spent a lot of the season watching film on his own, with very little guidance from Eberflus or new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Waldron - brought in solely to assist the defensive-minded head coach in Williams' development - was fired shortly before Eberflus last season. Speaking with Cowboys writers Ed Werder and Matt Mosley, Eberflus addressed the situation for the first time, keeping things brief and forthright. 'I would say this. In the development of the quarterback position – and, really, all positions at my time with the Bears – we've always had daily coached film sessions,' Eberflus said. 'That was all through the entire year. That's what I observed and that's where it was.' Advertisement Werder also brought up Eberflus' relationship with iconic college football coach Nick Saban from their time at Toledo. He reference Saban's "hands-on" approach to young quarterback development, to which Eberflus agreed, but did not have much else to say. 'That's really all I have to say about it,' Eberflus said. 'That's what it is.' For Williams, this was the latest in a trend of headline-grabbing storylines that served as distractions to this offseason. Also from Wickersham's book titled American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback, an excerpt accused Williams and his father of allegedly trying to finagle a way out of being selected first by the Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft, which of course, eventually still happened. Advertisement Williams began a minicamp press conference addressing the situation in a long-winded elaboration of his appreciation to play in Chicago, but the statement did little in helping fans move on. Eberflus, however, may be thankful to be transitioning to a team with a better quarterback situation. Eberflus noted how Dak Prescott actually had a hand in his decision-making to return to Dallas. He will also assume a more comfortable defense-first job rather than be tasked with everything as a head coach. He has offered pointers to first-year boss Brian Schottenheimer, but this position for Eberflus should provide a fresh slate after his forgetful tenure in Chicago. Judging by his comments here, he's choosing to push those memories into the wind to be swept away forever. Advertisement Related: 'Nervous' Cowboys Coach Reveals 'At Peace' Moment Related: Troubled Cowboys Ex Issues Stunning Statement About Antonio Brown Arrest This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus gives surprising reason for why he returned to Dallas in 2025
Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus gives surprising reason for why he returned to Dallas in 2025 As the NFL coaching carousel hit high gear in early 2025, it was clear Matt Eberflus was going to have options. He had been fired as the Bears head coach just a few months earlier, and his 14-32 overall record in Chicago made it unlikely he'd get many looks for another top job so soon. A return to a defensive coordinator position, however, seemed probable. He'd done the job previously in Indianapolis, taking the Colts from one of the worst defenses in football to top-10 status in short order. And before that, he had served for seven seasons in Dallas, first as linebackers coach and then adding passing game coordinator to his duties. But for all the defensive stars Eberflus has helped to launch over the years- from DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee to Shaq Leonard and Kenny Moore- it was actually a player on the other side of the ball that finally cemented his decision to return to the Cowboys for a second stint on their sidelines. "Really, to me, it was Dak Prescott," the 55-year-old coordinator told Matt Mosely and Ed Werder on The Doomsday Podcast. "When he was a rookie, we drafted him here, and what did he go, 9-1 the first 10 games?" He did indeed. The 2016 Cowboys made it to 11-1 over Prescott's first 12 games before stumbling twice in the final four weeks to finish 13-3 and with the NFC East crown. But even more than the stellar promise showed by the young Mississippi State passer on the gridiron, it was what Prescott displayed off the field, in the locker room, and in the community that apparently made a lasting impression on Eberflus. And while he acknowledged a close relationship with the Jones family as a big factor in his return, it was the chance to come back and be around a Prescott-led team once again that eventually swayed Eberflus away from other job opportunities. "I know what's inside his heart and what kind of man he is and what kind of leader he is," Eberflus explained of Prescott. "So to me, that was a slam-dunk." Eberflus may have been ready to join the Cowboys staff, but interestingly, Brian Schottenheimer had not yet won the head coaching job. It didn't take much input from other trusted voices in longtime coaching circles, though, to convince Eberflus that the Cowboys' ship would be in good hands under Schotty's command. "I was asking around about him because I knew he was up for the job," Eberflus recalled. "I've got a really good couple of friends that are really good friends with him, and they just said, 'Love him. What a great football mind. What a great guy. He's going to be a great leader.' And so I was all in at that point." Eberflus says he's tried to help Schottenheimer adjust to all the newness of an NFL head coaching job, looking out for what he calls "things as a head coach that you don't know that are involved in the job until you become a head coach." It's a "see-something-say-something" mindset that he says all the Cowboys assistants have adopted as the staff embarks on this first season together. The newness, the talent, the friendly competitions, lining his unit up against Prescott in practice and then being on the same team with him afterward: it's all brought about an energy that Eberflus already says is different from other places he's coached. And maybe that will help bring about a result that's different from where Eberflus- and Prescott- and the Cowboys- have found themselves in recent years. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN: Cowboys-Bears tilt named one of NFL's 9 key schedule features
ESPN: Cowboys-Bears tilt named one of NFL's 9 key schedule features The Dallas Cowboys have one of the league's most difficult schedules in 2025; at least based off of 2024 results. With a strength of schedule of .557, Dallas has the fifth-toughest slate. But it's not their Thanksgiving matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs that drew the attention of Benjamin Solak, nor the two matchups against Super Bowl champion Philadelphia. Rather, it was their Week 3 tilt against the Chicago Bears that was identified as one of nine key schedule features among Solak's 100 Things to Know countdown to the regular season. Another good Bears game comes against the Cowboys in Week 3. Former Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus is the new Cowboys defensive coordinator, and expunged coaches often produce strong performances when revenge is on the table. The Cowboys hired Eberflus, their former linebacker coach, after he was fired from the Bears midseason 2024. Their former linebacker coach went to Indianapolis for several years as their defensive coordinator before taking the lead chair in the Windy City. Eberflus, 55, had a 14-32 career record with the Bears, who struggled at the QB position before drafting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in 2024. Now Williams will have a chance to prove his comments about why he never wanted to be drafted by the Bears and Eberflus will look to take his inside intel and use it to his new team's advantage. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
