The Chicago Bears are in the final phase of their offseason program, which includes Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and veteran minicamp later this month.
It’s difficult to assess players without pads and without contact, which won’t come until training camp in late July. But head coach Matt Eberflus explains how he’s able to gauge his players’ readiness in terms of mental adjustments and overall athletic ability.
“Mentally, what you assess this time of year [is], ‘Can the guy pick it up? Is he fast mentally? Can he think on his feet? Is he able to adjust and make the adjustments on his feet?'” Eberflus said. “That’s No. 1. And then No. 2, physically, what you can see is athletic ability. I like to see athletes we’re acquiring here, really good athletes that can run. Can they operate and be quick and not in a hurry as coach [John] Wooden would say? So, we’re looking at those things: body control and those physical traits that we’re looking for to succeed.”
This offseason has been about the players learning their respective schemes under Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, where they’ve had a chance to finally practice on the field — without contact, of course.
The Bears are conducting their final week of OTA practices beginning June 6 before wrapping up the offseason program with mandatory minicamp June 14-16.
