It's a new-look era with plenty of optimism for the Chicago Bears. In the case of head coach Matt Eberflus, it is literally a new-look era. The head coach has changed his appearance by debuting a new haircut and beard heading into the 2024 campaign.
That's not all, as he reportedly changed how he deals with the media. ESPN's Kalyn Kahler reported Friday that Eberflus overhauled his media prep and even "went outside the organization during the season to enlist extra help after a viral news conference mishap in Week 9 where he struggled to answer simple questions about injured quarterback Justin Fields' game status." That press conference generated plenty of unwanted headlines for the Bears, as the coach struggled with answers and seemed to contradict himself at times when talking about Fields—who was listed as doubtful—and whether the quarterback (who is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers) would play.
The media prep isn't all Eberflus did, as Kahler noted he appreciated the positive response to his haircut so much that he "experimented with fashion" and purchased a luxury styling tool hair dryer. "When you look nicer and you dress nicer, people respect you more," the coach's barber, Lawrence Funk, said. "Flus had the longer pushback hair that was kind of dangling when the wind's blowing and he looked stressed out.
You go from that and get a shorter haircut, grow a beard. He's got some sun. He looks like a new person.
" Whether he can translate the media training and new look .