The message that Bears coach Matt Eberflus delivered at Wednesday's team meeting was the same one he gave players following last Sunday's loss to the Chiefs.
"It was about the focus that we need to have to get this thing going in the right direction," Eberflus said. "And it's about the details of each man, about the details of each position, player and coach together.
"And really, it's about the fight to get this thing turned around and the determination and the fight you need to have as an individual person, as an individual position group and a unit and your football team."
Eberflus explained that the fight he's discussing involves "being determined to improve at your skill, at your fundamentals at your position."
"And that goes hand-in-hand with the coaches," Eberflus said. "The coaches are in charge of that as well. We've got to make sure that we're putting guys in position so they can execute, and it's always going to be about both, coach and player."
Eberflus felt that his message resonated with players.
"The guys were determined there, and I feel real good about the look in their eye," he said. "We had a leadership council meeting this morning as well. Discussed those topics. It was a really good meeting, a lot of good communication in that meeting."
Quarterback Justin Fields feels a sense of determination in the locker room to win for the first time this season after an 0-3 start.
"I can sense that," Fields said. "It's just been doing what we're doing, coming in, working hard each and every day, and when the game comes, just focusing on details each and every play and being present within each and every play."
Like all players, Fields has been asked to focus on the details of his position. Asked what that means for a quarterback, he said: "It's a lot. I have to know the most information on the offense, so I've got to know what the defense is doing, know the run cans, know the criteria for each play. If we have a different play, a different check towards a defensive look, gotta take care of that. Protection-wise, gotta tell the O-line where to slide to and stuff like that. So a lot goes into it, but that's basically kind of what my part is when I've got to focus on the details."
One of Eberflus' main responsibilities is to ensure that the Bears' losing streak doesn't negatively impact players.
"A lot of times what happens is, with human nature, is you make excuses," Eberflus said. "You blame this, you blame that, you blame injury, you blame circumstance, you blame all these things. You can't do that. You've got to own up to what you've done. The circumstance is the circumstance. You've got to execute and do what you're supposed to do. Do your job every single day. You never know when it's right around the corner. That's our attitude. We're determined. We're focused on this week alone. That's the attitude the coaches have."
Sunday's opponent, the Broncos, are also 0-3 and are coming off a 70-20 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. So both teams figure to be fighting for a win.
"That's where we're talking about the fight, right?" Eberflus said. "It's going to come down to a determining group out there. The Chicago Bears need to be determined to get this thing done. It's going to come down to that moment in the game. There's going to be a moment in the game in the second half that we got to do it, right? And we've got to pull together and get that done. It's going to be done through execution."
