Q&A with Bears coach Matt Eberflus: On the challenges of 3-14 season, relationship with QB Justin Fields and more

CHICAGO — Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus sat in a golf cart at the Indianapolis Colts training camp facility about 50 minutes before the start of a spirited joint practice between his current team and his former one.

In the year and a half since the Bears hired Eberflus away from his defensive coordinator position with the Colts, the 53-year-old coaching veteran has faced major challenges as he guided a rebuilding Bears team through a franchise-worst 14 losses.

But just a few weeks ahead of his second Bears season, Eberflus believes he and his coaching staff have set the foundation for future success. He spoke with the Tribune about how he kept perspective during a trying first season, how he has grown his relationship with quarterback Justin Fields and what gives him hope for the 2023 season.

Note: This interview was lightly edited for length and clarity.

— Q: When you look back at last season, 3-14 with a 10-game losing streak, what was the most challenging part for you as a coach?

— A: Going through the season last year, I was most proud of the guys, our coaches, our staff, the players, and how they stuck to that whole routine of going through the process of the week. We know all we have is what we do on the practice field during the season and how we perform there. And I believe we did a really good job of laying the foundation of the HITS principle with our entire football team.

(Implementing it on offense) was great because I got to talk with Chris Morgan, Jim Dray, Coach (David) Walker, Tyke (Tolbert) and Coach (Luke) Getsy and all those guys about, “Hey, let’s standardize this, of what we want to see on tape, what we want to see in practice. What does it mean to finish and play with great effort? What does it mean to play with great intensity? What does that look like on tape,