Frank Ross got to know Matt Eberflus really well.
The two were on the Indianapolis Colts under coach Frank Reich. Ross was the assistant special teams coordinator from 2018-20 while Eberflus was the defensive coordinator from 2018-21.
In 2022, Ross is in his second season as the Houston Texans’ special teams coordinator. Eberflus is two games into being the coach of the Chicago Bears.
Eberflus was even a coaching candidate during the Texans’ 2021 hiring cycle, but ultimately the club went with David Culley and Eberflus stayed one more year in Indianapolis.
Ross shared his thoughts on “Flus,” the term used in Indianapolis, with Houston media Thursday as the Texans prepare to face the Bears Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at Soldier Field.
“Super happy for him,” Ross said. “He’s doing a great job. He’s earned everything he’s got. The entire picture is sound. Everything that he does from organizationally, top-down, he’s going to work tirelessly to get that done, matriculate all the way down to his special teams units with [special teams coordinator] (Richard) Hightower running it.”
Ross is also intrigued with the way the Bears are running their special teams under Hightower’s guidance. The former Texans coaching assistant (2006-07), who recently was the San Francisco 49ers’ special teams coordinator from 2017-22, has the transitional units playing with an attitude that reflects the culture Eberflus is instilling.
“He’s going to have the autonomy to say these types of players are going to work for your kicking game unit,” said Ross. “Let’s us them in this capacity, use them in these roles and that’s where we can have a nice mesh to be successful. It’s going to be a good competition with that entire unit on Sunday.”
The Texans are looking for their first full win of the season after a 20-20 tie with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 and a 16-9 loss at the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
