NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

Bears QB Justin Fields is the most important player in the organization going forward, and his development will be critical to the team’s future. New HC Matt Eberflus has a defensive background, which makes his hire of former Packers QB coach Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator arguably his most important decision. Fortunately for him, Getsy comes highly recommended. 

“The way Luke was as a GA was really the same way that Joe Brady was at Penn State,” Akron HC Joe Moorhead, who worked with Brady at Penn State and Getsy at Mississippi State, said via the Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain. “These were guys who you asked questions as if they were a full-time coach because you valued their input in that regard because you knew the information or the answers they provided were going to be ones that created value.”

Moorhead described his system, which Getsy will presumably borrow heavily from as he designs an offense for Fields, as an “RPO-based run game that takes advantage of a quarterback’s running skill set, combining that with a West Coast system that takes a ton of shots down the field.” Moorhead also knows Fields after trying to recruit him to Penn State and believes the two will be a great match. 

“Luke’s a smart enough guy to know what works and what fits with the personnel,” Moorhead said. “I think he’s going to do a great job with Chicago.”

Lions

• Lions GM Brad Holmes said Rams QB Matthew Stafford asked for a trade in January of last year, and believes the deal worked out for both sides: “I think it worked out for both sides. Stafford’s a good player, and the Rams are a good team. So it worked out for them, and in exchange, we got compensation that can help us.” (Kyle Meinke)
• Holmes said the team plans to stay in the present while they rebuild their roster: “When you’re building it for that long, and then you add a piece like him, I’m not surprised by their success. But all we can do is stay in the present…The present is the reality, and right now, they’re headed to the Super Bowl and we’re coaching the Senior Bowl.” (Meinke)

Vikings

• NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo says he gets the sense Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh is seriously looking to come back to the NFL and terms him a finalist for the Vikings head coaching vacancy.