Bears’ Eberflus appreciates moment with opener at hand

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Matt Eberflus can appreciate the moment. He’s a first-time head coach trying to turn around a founding NFL franchise, and the next big step comes this week when the Chicago Bears host the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. Eberflus says it’s “always special when you do something for the first time” and is “part of your story that you’re writing.” The Bears hired general manager Ryan Poles and Eberflus to replace the fired Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy after going 6-11 and missing the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years.