The very first camp for Bears rookies under HC Matt Eberflus has just wrapped up. Many who attended the camp to watch the rookies take the field at Halas Hall immediately noticed the intensity level Eberflus instilled in the new young players, a nice change of pace coming out of the Nagy era.
All 11 draft picks and 16 UDFA were in attendance for the camp and got an idea of what coach ‘Flus is all about, H.I.T.S. (hustle, intensity, takeaways, smarts). Players were giving it their all just as Eberflus said he’d expect as the head coach here in Chicago. Though no pads are worn in rookie mini camp players still were able to bring the intensity through takeaway drills, WR/CB matchups, and thorough work for all of the o-linemen brought onboard.
Many of the players, including several of those who went undrafted such as WR Kevin Shaa and CB DeMario McCall, had standout plays with sound coverages by McCall and 2nd rounder Kyler Gordon, many forced fumbles created across the defense, and impressive play making grabs and runs by Shaa and others from the offensive unit including third round pick Velus Jones Jr..
Velus, a pick that brought on many questions from fans, has been a standout in Luke Getsy’s offense at camp. Both Getsy and Eberflus see a lot in the rookie WR, especially after watching him in camp, with his high energy and ability to play any receiver role or even come out of the backfield.
Another development at camp from the bears day two picks lauded by the coaching staff is the connection between Gordon and fellow 2nd rounder, safety, Jaquan Brisker. The tandem showed a strong connection as well as their own individual athleticism and skills on the field this weekend.
Though it’s very early into the offseason there’s certainly reason to believe there will be more to look forward to going into this new regime. The next time the Bears meet up at Halas Hall, this time as a whole team, will be May 16th, and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the new direction this team is headed in.
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