Eberflus also served as the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts from 2018 to 2021 and has also coached for the Toledo Rockets and Missouri Tigers in college football.
Eberflus was born on May 17, 1970,[1] and attended Whitmer High School in Toledo, Ohio, where he graduated in 1988 after helping lead the team to the state semifinals in 1987.
[2] Eberflus was a four-year letterman and a three-year starting linebacker at Toledo from 1988 to 1991 under three coaches: Dan Simrell, Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel.
His 21 tackles against Northern Illinois University that year ranks as the fifth-best performance by a Toledo player in a single game in school history.
Eberflus earned his degree in education from Toledo in 1993 and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
[4] Building on his success, Eberflus guided the Tigers defense to the Big 12 North Division title in 2007 and 2008, compiling a 22–6 record over that span.
Smith, after becoming just the second player in Division I-A football history to ever pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, among numerous collegiate honors, would go on to be drafted by the New York Jets and enjoy an eight-year career as an NFL wide receiver.
In his first season, Eberflus transitioned David Bowens from outside linebacker to inside, where he finished with a career-high 71 tackles (47 solo) and 5.5 sacks.
In 2015, Sean Lee returned to the field and Eberflus was charged with transitioning him to the weakside linebacker position, which produced immediate results.
In 2017, Eberflus guided a linebacker group that accounted for 34% of the team's tackles, helping the defense rank No.
Most impressively, Eberflus was credited with the development of Jaylon Smith to become an immediate contributor after missing the 2016 season due to an injury he suffered in his final collegiate game at Notre Dame.
[8] With Josh McDaniels set to take the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts, Eberflus was hired to be his defensive coordinator.
Eberflus's cultural impact and expertise in player development was put on display throughout the 2018 season, achieving the team's defensive heights without preeminent talent.
The team's previous coaching staff advocated for cutting linebacker Anthony Walker before the year, but the front office resisted and he was retained.
16 in 2018 (237.8 passing yards allowed per game), doing so with their number one corner, Pierre Desir, already having been waived by three NFL teams since being drafted in 2014, and Kenny Moore II, who was an undrafted free agent out of Valdosta State last season.
[16] Eberflus won his head coaching debut on September 11, as the Bears beat the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 19–10 in a come-from-behind victory.
[17] Eberflus and the Bears extended their losing streak to a franchise record 14 games through the 2023 season.
With the further addition of trade acquisition Keenan Allen as well as free agents D'Andre Swift, Kevin Byard, and Gerald Everett, the Bears were expected to take a step forward in Eberflus' third season at the helm.
His last game as the Bears' head coach was a 23–20 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions in which his late-game decision to not take his team's final timeout was widely criticized.
[26] In 2018, NBC Sports' Peter King voted Eberflus Assistant Coach of the Year,[27] as did Steve Serby of the New York Post.
[28] Eberflus ultimately finished third in votes for the 2018 Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year Award, with first place going to Vic Fangio.