(670 The Score) Bears head coach Matt Eberflus will call the team’s defensive plays when Chicago visits Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Eberflus will do so because defensive coordinator Alan Williams will miss the game for personal reasons, the team said Friday. The Bears didn’t immediately reveal how long Williams is expected to be away from the team.
Eberflus has plenty of experience calling plays, as he was the Colts’ defensive coordinator from 2018-’21. He was also a defensive coordinator for eight seasons at the collegiate level earlier in his coaching career.
"I've done it for 12 years total," Eberflus said of play-calling, according to the team website. "It's really more about the operation of the game management side of it. When the offense is up, it'll be normal business and then throwing challenge flags, being right there with Luke (Getsy) and the offense. When the defense is up, I'll be giving the calls and then when we're off the field, making corrections pretty quick. Guys on the sideline are going to help me do that with the players. Really from there, it's about setting up the next series – what's coming the next series – for those guys and communicating that."
In other Bears news, cornerback Josh Blackwell was listed as doubtful to play Sunday due to a hamstring injury. That development came as nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon (hand) landed on injured reserve Thursday. The rest of the Bears' injury report was clean as it related to players currently on the active roster.
The Bears (0-1) and Buccaneers (1-0) are set to kick off at noon on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.