Eagles and Bears have familiarity, from Nick Sirianni and Matt Eberflus to Justin Fields and Trey Sermon
There's mutual respect between the Eagles and Bears, as the coaching staffs know each other quite well.
On paper, this Sunday’s matchup between the Eagles and Chicago Bears looks very much like a lopsided one. The Eagles (12-1) possess the NFL’s best record, while the Bears (3-10) haven’t won a game since Oct. 24 with six consecutive losses.
However, there is plenty of familiarity between the two coaching staffs, which leads to the belief that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni won’t be overlooking this Week 15 contest with a looming matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve.
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Sirianni and Bears coach Matt Eberflus previously spent three seasons together with the Indianapolis Colts, where Sirianni served as the offensive coordinator, while Eberflus was the defensive coordinator. Other Eagles coaches who worked in Indianapolis during that span (2018-20) include defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, associate head coach/running backs coach Jemal Singleton, pass game coordinator Kevin Patullo, and offensive consultant Marcus Brady.
“That is really cool because I have a lot of respect for ‘Flus and everything that he stands for,” Sirianni said. “I think he’s a phenomenal coach. We had a lot of talks, whether that’s ‘Hey, how are we getting ready for practice?’ or ‘How are we going to do this segment of practice?’
“I’m happy for him because it’s well-deserved that he is in the position he’s in right now as the head coach of a good organization. It is neat. You build friendships with people. Our families got to know each other. He’s got a great family, and he’s a great person, a great football coach. ...We’re going to have to be on our stuff because he’s going to have them [prepared].”
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The Eagles boast advantages across nearly every position group and statical category. With four regular-season games remaining, the Eagles are aiming to hold on to the NFC’s No. 1 seed, which would secure them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
“Jonathan Gannon has done a really good job,” Eberflus said. “He’s a tremendous coach, tireless worker. He does a good job of mixing things up. He’s done an awesome job with the roster. The edge rush, they create really good pressure. They really create a lot of one-on-one situations. They’re able to play coverage, split-safety, single-high. Jonathan and his crew has done a nice job.”
Trey Sermon on Justin Fields
Eagles running back Trey Sermon is looking forward to reuniting with college teammate and second-year Bears quarterback Justin Fields. After playing with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts for one season at Oklahoma, Sermon transferred to Ohio State, where he teamed up with Fields.
Sermon and Fields were part of the 2020 Ohio State team that reached the College Football Playoff title game, losing to Alabama. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith was named player of the game after recording a title-game record 12 receptions, 215 yards, and three touchdowns ... all in the first half.
Sermon and Fields, who was selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft, still keep in touch regularly. Within the last week, the duo jokingly discussed the Eagles-Bears matchup over a game of Call of Duty: Warzone. Gannon’s top priority this weekend will be containing Fields — he leads all NFL quarterbacks with 905 rushing yards.
“It’ll be great to catch up and see him do his thing out there,” Sermon said of Fields. “My most favorite memories with him is just being together at practice, making plays, and having fun. We built up some great chemistry together.
“Watching him from afar, really, the Bears are adjusting more to his strengths. They know he’s a great runner. He’s just as big as any running back. He’s just as fast. If he can make guys miss in open space, why not put him in that position? I feel like that’s what they’re doing more of this year. It’ll be a good challenge for our guys.”
Inquirer Eagles beat reporter Josh Tolentino and columnist Mike Sielski preview the team’s Week 15 game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday
