A Green Bay Packers rival is apparently trying to use other methods besides practice to right their ship after a disastrous 2022 campaign. The Chicago Bears were dismal last season. They finished with the league’s worst record at 3-14.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is a big believer in the H.I.T.S. principle. But the team is trying out a new philosophy for the 2023 season. That could be the reason Matt Eberflus decided the team would skip practice Thursday in a week where several starters showed up to their voluntary practices for the first time this year.
A Green Bay Packers rival cancels practice
According to Larry Mayer with the Bears, Eberflus felt having a team-building exercise was more valuable than having another of practice for their young team:
“Just like last year when the Bears visited Wrigley Field, coach Matt Eberflus cancelled the final OTA practice of the offseason Thursday in lieu of a team-bonding event.
This time, players, coaches and staff rode five buses to the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks.
“It’s the 10th OTA,” Eberflus said. “We bypassed that to come to a team function and to me it’s invaluable to do it. We’ve had great participation this offseason, and we made some big strides in the relationship category.
“Last year we went to Wrigley Field, and we loved the experience. This year I wanted to do a basketball format.”
Will a recess help the Chicago Bears?
The Bears did a similar type of get-together last season. They also missed an OTA practice last season for breaking an NFL rule. That might not have been the cause of their 3-14 season, but it didn’t seem to help it.
But who knows? OTA practices during voluntary minicamp aren’t as important as what they’ll see in mandatory minicamp. And it certainly won’t be as important as the Bears’ training camp practice starting in July. The New York Jets even decided to cancel their mandatory portion of OTAs.
Blowing off a little steam could help the psyche of a team that needs to trust in each other after a bad season. But as former Packers offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said about players missing practice during OTAs, playing basketball at the United Center certainly won’t help with the chemistry on the field.
Here are some highlights of the Bears HORSEing around at the United Center Thursday:
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