They that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is a lot of things, but insane isn't one of them. What he might be is the ideal coach to help quarterback Justin Fields reach his star potential.
Monday night's 33-14 blowout win over the New England Patriots, and how the Bears went about it, is Exhibit A of why Eberflus could be the coach Fields needs at this critical early stage in his career.
Eberflus and the Bears' staff used their mini-bye week to re-evaluate everything: players, units, and schemes. I don't think the re-evaluation told Eberflus anything he didn't know. What it did do, however, is give him and his staff time to correct issues and implement changes that are more difficult to install in a typical game prep week.
For six weeks, we have talked about offensive coordinator Luke Getsy making the offense more friendly for Fields. Finding a way to utilize one of the quarterback's best assets -- his legs -- and find ways to mitigate a shaky offensive line.
The former is an easy fix. Entering Monday night, the Bears had called just 12 designed runs for Fields in six games. When you have a 6-foot-3, 230 pounds quarterback who runs a 4.4 40, it's borderline criminal not to use that skill set.
Getsy and the Bears' offensive staff saw how Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens hurt the Patriots in the QB run game and put a lot of those same designs to use Monday night. We saw zone reads, draws, pin-and-pulls, and gap runs. It was a comprehensive quarterback run game.
NFL
"I think once you put it on tape the guys have to defend it," Eberflus said Tuesday of the QB run game. "Then you want to be creative in the ways that you do things and you want to do it in a safe way, cause it is your quarterback. You want to make sure that you're doing it the right way. He has to know when to do things the right way in terms of to slide, when to get out of bounds, and all those things. Then he has the unscripted plays where on third down, he drops back and will take off for a first down, or even on first down to that.
"I think it's very hard to defend. I've tried to defend those guys over the years, and it's very difficult. We just have to do it the right way – and we've got to be creative with how we do it. So we're gonna do that. We're working on the game plan right now, so we're excited about getting that going."
Once Fields started beating the Patriots with his legs, the changes the Bears' staff made to the passing game shined through.
The Bears moved the launch point in a variety of ways. There were nakeds, keepers, sprints, rolled pockets, rub routes, and a broad set of play-action throws.
The offensive architecture was Fields friendly, allowed him to showcase his athleticism and arm talent, kept him clean for the most part, and got him in a good rhythm. It's the type of offensive game plan the Bears should have been running from the jump.
"It was good," Eberflus said of Getsy's play-calling. "I thought the mix and match of the in-pocket, out-of-pocket, you know, the different protections we were using to really focus on the strengths of our football team and our offensive unit I thought was excellent. He really did a nice job of keeping things off balance for the opponent, and it was good."
That Eberflus and his staff identified issues and were willing to make wholesale changes reveals something. They are not only capable of instituting changes but willing to admit they don't have all the answers. But they are willing to do the work to find them.
When things are going the wrong way, you hunker down and find the things that need to be fixed.
That's important for any team, but especially a young roster led by a second-year quarterback.
Fields' supreme talent has never been in question. What he needs is an organization to believe in him, put the right talent around him, and give him a coach and staff that understands where he is, where he can go, and how to get him there.
In the season-opening win over the San Francisco 49ers, the principles Eberflus preaches shined through. The Bears didn't beat themselves in sloppy conditions and were fundamentally sound.
But with a three-game losing streak comes questions about a first-time head coach's ability to adjust and ensure early issues don't persist for 17 games.
Don't think it's lost on Eberflus that he and Fields need each other. He didn't draft Fields, but the best way for Eberflus to succeed in leading the Bears back to prominence is by finding ways to get Fields from ball of untapped potential to superstar.
That trajectory won't be linear. It rarely is with young quarterbacks, especially those drafted with high picks in challenging situations.
But Eberflus has spent 30 years preparing to be a head coach. He has soaked up knowledge from Gary Pinkel, Nick Saban, and others on how to run a team and staff.
We're learning that when Eberflus talks, while it might be coach speak, he means what he says. He told us he'd re-evaluate everything and make the necessary changes. The Bears spent extra time last week in individual drills that harped on fundamentals.
It's no surprise the Bears were much better in most areas Monday night.
RELATED: Fields-to-Herbert screen highlights Bears progress
Young quarterbacks need a lot of things to grow into who they are supposed to be. Eberflus can't do anything about the lack of talent on the line or at the skill positions. But what he can be is adaptable. Willing to change the plan that's not working to implement one that works for Fields and the offensive personnel he does have. Credit for that goes to Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko as well.
Two weeks ago, Fields popped in a brilliant second half against the Vikings. It was a flash, but consistency is needed for Fields to start checking the QB development boxes at the NFL level.
It looked like he might have to do it by himself, behind a bad offensive line and with a staff that hadn't altered things to help Justin Fields be Justin Fields.
That wasn't the case.
Matt Eberflus and his staff went to work during the mini-bye week and came out with a revamped offensive scheme highlighting who Fields wants to be as a quarterback. It was a comprehensive offensive game plan that the Bears can build on and Fields can grow in.
Pairing a defensive-minded head coach with a young quarterback often leads to disastrous results. But Eberflus might be showing us that he's not just an old-school, hard-headed defensive coordinator.
He's a seasoned coach, a football lifer, who isn't afraid to change anything and everything if it's not working. He doesn't seem constrained by ego. If there's a problem, he and his staff go to work to fix it. If he can put a player in a better position to succeed, he finds a way to do that.
That might be just the kind of coach Justin Fields needs to become the Justin Fields the Bears need.