WARE, England — Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus appreciates the setup at Hanbury Manor. The team has the meeting spaces it needs and a field in a unique setting north of London.
That environment was all he needed for his Tuesday, the day many players explored London.
“I know the players had yesterday off, but I was game-planning from six in the morning until 10, so I didn’t get much time for that,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “But it was a good time hanging out with the coaches like I always do on that day.”
When Eberflus traveled to London in 2014 with the Cowboys, they stayed in downtown London. He said it was nice for the families to be there with the team, but he preferred the isolation this time around.
The Cowboys did win that game 31-17 over the Jaguars.
Eberflus was all business. The Bears held a walkthrough Wednesday to help acclimate to the time change and will have a regular Thursday in the London countryside.
‘Bossy’ Caleb
Wide receiver DJ Moore made the tongue-in-cheek comment when he saw quarterback Caleb Williams enter the room to wait for his turn to speak to the media.
“He’s taken those strides that he needs to. He’s been bossy lately, telling us that we need to be in on the details,” he said. “We really do for him to be the best player he needs to be.”
Moore smiled at Williams as he called his quarterback “bossy,” but it spurred a conversation about an assertive rookie.
“He’s been a leader. So what I mean by bossy is, if we don’t hit something in practice, he’s going to tell us how we need to run it and this and that,” Moore said. “And we just look at him and be like, OK. When we get out there in the game, just make sure you work because he’s gonna have some words for you if you don’t. That’s him being a leader. He’s a little bossy. It’s the little bro.”
Williams didn’t love the “bossy” description but acknowledged he’s been better about managing any frustration and talking to his teammates when a play doesn’t hit.
“Just always coming over to talk to the guys when I can,” Williams said. “Growing up a little bit. Understanding that even when I’m frustrated about maybe a drive or a play that we had that we may have messed up … understanding that there’s another drive coming, there’s another part of the season that we have to focus on also. Being able to go over and talk to them and understand how and what they need to hear and then from there moving on.
“The other part of it is getting more comfortable in understanding the offense a little bit better and getting more comfortable calling it and being in games, being in live-action moments, I think, has helped me.”
Moore welcomes it.
“You do want to see that. He’s like little bro, so you’re looking at him like, ‘Dude, don’t be talking to me like that,’” Moore said. “But I understand. Because we need to really connect on that. That’s what we did the past week. I took his advice, I listened, you know what I’m saying. Older bro had to take a back seat for a second.”
The Windy City wasn’t stopping Caleb from making this perfect TD pass 😤@NFLFilms | @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/KAlOfk875O
— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2024
Williams’ loudest environments
While Sunday is technically a home game, the Bears may want to prepare to play in the noise. It got quite loud five years ago at Tottenham during the Bears’ comeback that ultimately fell short against the Raiders.
It’ll probably be an even more vociferous crowd this time around with the Bears being the home team and Williams at the helm.
When asked about a big difference between the college and pro games, Williams talked about learning to manage the noise when listening to the play on third down. He said sometimes it’s even hard at home, which is when he quiets the crowd. And if Soldier Field’s fans need a reminder to bring it to a whisper on third down, Tottenham’s probably will, too.
As for the most difficult times Williams has had hearing a play call inside his helmet, he ranked his first play in the NFL in front of a roaring crowd at Soldier Field, followed by a tie between his two road opponents, the Colts and Texans.
Next man up
Eberflus said safety Elijah Hicks will get the start for Jaquan Brisker, who is out with a concussion. Hicks handled that role the previous two seasons as the backup safety for either spot and during training camp as well.
“Elijah has done a really good job for us in the past,” Eberflus said. “He’s been in our system, so we trust him, know him. He knows the system well. He’s excited about the opportunity.”
Hicks started six games last season and two as a rookie.
Injury report
The Bears released an “estimated” injury report because they didn’t have a normal practice. Guard Teven Jenkins, who left Sunday’s win with an ankle injury and did not return, would have been limited. Cornerback Kyler Gordon also would’ve been limited with a heel injury.
Along with Brisker, cornerback Terell Smith and defensive tackle Zacch Pickens have already been ruled out. They did not make the trip. Defensive end Jacob Martin, whose practice window opened Wednesday, would’ve been a full participant in practice.
Addressing the obvious
Every win is important, but some feel better than others. Moore, who was part of a Panthers win over the Buccaneers at Tottenham in 2019, knows what going into the bye 4-2 would mean.
“Getting a win out here and going on the bye week happy is a must,” he said. “And even if we weren’t on a bye week, a back-to-back win would be amazing just to stack those wins and keep that feeling going the rest of the year.”
(Photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
