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New York Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Ex-Bears coach Matt Eberflus finally responds to Caleb Williams tape controversy
Matt Eberflus made many mistakes as the Bears' head coach, but there's one that he's disputing. 'In the development of the quarterback position, and really all positions at my time with the Bears, we always had daily, coached film sessions,' Eberflus said on 'The Doomsday Podcast' to host Ed Werder. 'That was all through the entire year. So, that's what I observed and that's where it was.' This comes after it was reported that Chicago's then-rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams would watch game and practice film with no guidance from his coaching staff. 3 Matt Eberflus speaks with Ed Werder on 'The Doomsday Podcast' and addresses claims that Caleb Williams received no help in film sessions. The Doomsday Podcast 'No one tells me what to watch,' Williams told his dad, Carl, according to ESPN. 'I just turn it on.' Williams, and especially his father, reportedly wanted no part in heading to the Bears in the 2024 draft because of their infamous history with quarterbacks — rarely ever building any promising franchise cornerstone at the position. 3 Caleb Williams will be under new coaching in his second NFL season. AP 'I don't want my son playing for the Bears,' Carl told several agents in 2024, as reported by ESPN from Seth Wickersham's upcoming book 'American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback.' 'Do I want to go there? I don't think I can do it with [former Bears offensive coordinator Shane] Waldron,' Wickersham quoted Caleb Williams saying in the book. Well, the Williamses were onto something as Eberflus and Waldron were fired midseason 3 Matt Eberflus was fired from the Bears head coaching position in November 2024. AP A disconnect was clearly present with the quarterback and his coaches, as seen on the field and with Eberflus' most recent comment addressing the film-watching criticisms. Williams struggled with the coaching carousel and the revolving-door-esque linemen in front of him in his rookie season, as he was sacked a league-high 68 times. But with a revamped offensive line and former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson taking over as head coach, the exciting flashes seen by Williams at times last season could very well become a more regular occurrence this year. As for Eberflus, he's heading into his first season as the Cowboys' defensive coordinator as he hopes to revitalize his coaching career — without any reports surrounding his coaching practices or any responsibilities to develop a franchise quarterback.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Matt Eberflus Breaks Silence on Caleb Williams' Rookie-Year Criticism
Matt Eberflus Breaks Silence on Caleb Williams' Rookie-Year Criticism originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Caleb Williams' rookie year with the Chicago Bears was filled with both anticipation and adversity. After the team moved on from Justin Fields and selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, the pressure to turn around a franchise with a rocky history at quarterback intensified. While there were flashes of brilliance on the field, behind the scenes, tensions were quietly brewing. And now, one former Bears coach has broken his silence. Advertisement In a recent interview on The Doomsday Podcast, former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus appeared to address criticism reportedly leveled at the Bears' coaching staff in an upcoming biography titled American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by ESPN's Seth Wickersham. Caleb WilliamsGetty Images A clip shared by Bears on CHSN captured Eberflus responding to allegations that Williams was left on his own to study film. 'In the development of the quarterback position, and really all my positions at the Bears, we always had daily, coached film sessions. That was all throughout the entire year. So, that's what I observed. That's where it was.' This directly contradicts a quote shared by Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report, who cited ESPN's reporting from Wickersham's upcoming biography. According to that excerpt: 'The quarterback [Caleb Williams] told his father that the coaching staff wouldn't instruct him on how to watch film or even join him for much of his study, which he ended up doing alone.' 'No one tells me what to watch,' he said. 'I just turn it on.' Williams recently addressed the public criticism surrounding his film habits—criticism that intensified following the book excerpts—and clarified that his issue wasn't a lack of knowledge about watching film—it was about improving the way he watched it. In a clip shared by NFL on FOX, he stated: '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.' Advertisement The contrast suggests a clear disconnect between the young quarterback and the previous coaching regime. Whether it was a clash of philosophies, personalities, or just a system that didn't quite fit, the underlying tension was hard to ignore. Williams may not have publicly criticized the staff, but the implications from those close to him painted a picture of a rookie navigating things largely on his own. Eberflus, now serving as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, isn't backing down—his version of events is firm, and the tone he struck sounded unapologetic. As the dust settles, the Bears have turned the page. With Ben Johnson calling the shots and a renewed emphasis on quarterback development, Williams has a chance to finally get the structure and consistency he once lacked. The past may be murky, but the road ahead offers something the Bears haven't had in a long time—hope under center. Advertisement Related: Bears 10-Year Veteran Bids Emotional Farewell to Chicago Related: Why Colston Loveland and the Bears' Tight End Room Could Define the 2025 Offense This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
5 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.
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!
