NFC Notes: Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

Bears HC Matt Eberflus reflected on his career going into his second year as a head coach, pointing out that each of his roles got a bit easier as he gained experience.

“When I became the defensive coordinator at Missouri and I was 29 years old, the second year was better than the first year, and it kept getting better, and we kept adding talent,” Eberflus said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “And the same thing when I became the coordinator at the Colts. Same thing. You get more comfortable in the position. You know how to flex a little bit better. You’re more comfortable with the coaches. The coaches are more comfortable with the players. It’s just the second time through it.”

Everflus reiterated that gaining experience is the best way to improve. 

“There’s no teacher like experience — there just isn’t,” Eberflus said. “You want to swing the golf club? You can talk about it until you’re blue in the face. Until you actually take a lesson and learn how to grip the club, take a stance and swing at it, there’s nothing like experience — in anything you do.”

Packers

Packers HC Matt LaFleur called RB Aaron Jones one of his all-time favorite players.

“I can’t say enough great things about him,” LaFleur said, via Packers Wire. “Just the man he is. The player he is. The son he is. The father he is. He’s definitely, I’ll throw it out there, one of my favorites.”

LaFleur said Jones is a true pro and the way that he carries himself is a model of consistency for younger players.

“What’s even more impressive is how he handles himself on a daily basis,” LaFleur said. “He’s such a great model for what you want your team to be about. He backs up anything he says with what he does. His actions are very, very powerful. He’s a great role model for all these younger players of what it truly means to be a pro. And just his approach and how he embraces all our players and tries to help them along the way.”

LaFleur hinted at Jones becoming one of the team’s focal points on offense.

“He’s a pretty good player,” LaFleur said. “It is our job to get our best players the ball. I think Aaron has definitely proven himself over his career in the NFL that he can handle a lot of things, not only in the running game but the pass game as well. He does a great job in pass protection, route running, and has shown the ability to be a big-time playmaker.”

Vikings

Regarding the Vikings being set to be in the top 10 of available cap space in 2024 and 2025, HC Kevin O’Connell responded the organization is making short-term and long-term plans but its his job to field a competitive team. 

“As far as future years and things like that,” O’Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “I know that there’s a reason for everything that we want to do ultimately in the short-term and the long-term. But I do believe that my job is to coach this football team to compete every opportunity we get.”

Vikings’ veteran S Harrison Smith said its important for players to step up and fill roles. 

“Whenever guys leave that are great players and also great teammates and friends, you’re going to miss them,” Smith said. “But also on the other hand, when people leave, [people] say, ‘Well, how do we replace him?’ There’s still another person in that spot, and maybe that person is a lot better. Maybe that person isn’t. I don’t know. But it’s not like there’s an empty void. I think we think that for some reason. There’s still somebody out there. We’ve got some guys. We’ll see what we do.”