Bear Digest

Bears Draw Strength from New OC and Injury Report But Is It Enough?

The injury report broke the Bears' way for a change and they seem optimistic over the way their offensive coordinator change has worked but this is the Packers they face.

Gene Chamberlain

Terell Smith makes a tackle on Dontavian Wicks in last year's Packers win at Green Bay.
Terell Smith makes a tackle on Dontavian Wicks in last year's Packers win at Green Bay. / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Bears needed a boost after three weeks of backsliding or landing flat on their backs.

Coach Matt Eberflus thinks they received it heading into a game when they can always use any bit of edge possible.

The Bears have a new outlook on things with their new offensive coordinator and with a few critical players returning to the lineup, especially tackles Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones.

"It's huge, right?" Eberflus said. "Those guys have a lot of experience. The continuity’s there, working with each other, next to each other there. I think it's important that you have that.

"Those guys have played well. Darnell’s played well, Braxton's played well. We just have to make sure the whole (offensive line) group five equals one there and plays all together during the course of the whole game."

Even with those two back from knee injuries, they'll be missing left guard Teven Jenkins with an ankle injury. Eberflus said Ryan Bates will play left guard for Jenkins. Matt Pryor will be at right guard, where he has played most of the season.

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The change to Thomas Brown from fired coordinator Shane Waldron is being considered a stimulus rather than a potential obstacle.

"After you have the weeks that we had, we had three weeks where we didn’t perform the way we wanted to, and I think it's a big energy boost," Eberflus said. "It's a shot in the arm and I really believe that the guys are working to perform well, and that’s evident in the practice.

"We had a real good fast Friday today working on the red zone, but you could feel it all the way throughout the whole building."

Change has improved their outlook.

"Obviously with the change on the offensive side of the ball, I thought Thomas did a really good job of bringing the guys together through this plan, getting them ready to perform on Sunday," Eberflus said. "Coaches and players, I really see a lot of collaboration between the groups.

"That happened before but I see it more and more this week—guys tightening it up and getting together. I was pleased with that."

It spilled over into meeting after practice.

"They're meeting afterward now to talk about the route disciplines," Eberflus said. "They've done some of that before but even more, so I think just being on the same page and really mastering your position, I told the guys after practice today, is that being at your best means that you're ready to go and execute all the plays, all the calls, that are called during the course of the game."

Eberflus didn't say quarterback Caleb Williams was negligent in this area in the past, but did make it clear the quarterback needs to be entirely versed on all eventualities.

"That's the nature of the position, right?" Eberflus said. "He's the guy that takes command of the huddle and makes those calls and has command of the whole offense. He has to study more than anybody.

"The guys have to help, also, at their position with how they’re going to execute that particular route or that particular scheme, so it takes everybody on Sunday to execute at a high level."

It's going to require all of this positive energy to snap a 10-game losing streak to their rivals.

"They've won the last 10 and that has been stated," Eberflus. "We're looking to change history. That's an important thing that we rally around.

"It's one game for us. We understand where the history is and we have to be better there. We have to play for three hours on Sunday and we're excited about this competition."

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.