Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie season was removed from the coronation many anticipated. As an alternative, it was stuffed with harsh classes, and whereas Williams would disagree with this, it appeared he had extra to be taught than he or the crew anticipated.
It’s important for Williams and the group that he turns this haphazard schooling into progress subsequent season. It was awkward at occasions for the No. 1 general decide to step aboard a veteran roster and attempt to take cost, however it will probably’t proceed that means.
This must be Williams’ present subsequent season. The quarterback is accountable for setting the tone and main the way in which, although he was excused from a few of that as a rookie discovering his footing in an unstable setting. It’s exhausting to inform others what to do while you aren’t positive of what you’re doing.
Williams mentioned he’ll “completely” be extra proactive and assertive with teammates subsequent season and promised “subsequent 12 months will likely be a giant soar for me” in that regard, however for him to drive the Bears subsequent season and past, it begins with enjoying significantly better.
“To take the following step in management and issues like that… you’ve received to be on level every day,” he mentioned Monday throughout locker cleanout at Halas Corridor. “Going by this primary 12 months, I knew that I used to be going to have rookie mess-ups and issues like that.”
Williams initially set his sights on outdoing Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud’s 2023 rookie season, wherein he made the Professional Bowl and received a playoff sport whereas placing up big numbers, however fell nicely wanting that focus on.
There are 1,000,000 asterisks, together with his head coach and offensive coordinator being fired throughout the season and the Bears fielding an offensive line wherein 4 of 5 starters must be changed, however Williams in the end was the one with the ball in his hand and owns his efficiency.
He completed with a 62.5 completion share (thirty third among the many 39 quarterbacks who threw at the very least 200 passes), 3,541 yards passing (seventeenth), 20 landing passes (fifteenth), six interceptions (tenth fewest) and an 87.8 passer score (twenty fourth). He was seventh in speeding yards by a quarterback at 489.
Amongst Bears single-season leaders, he was fourth in yardage, twelfth in landing passes and twelfth in passer score amongst gamers who threw 200 or extra passes. His passer score was greater than 10 factors greater than predecessors Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky posted as rookies.
Within the 2024 rookie class, although, Williams was fourth in completion share, third in yardage, third in landing passes, threw the fewest interceptions and fourth in passer score.
Ideally, Williams would’ve gotten higher assist navigating the acclimation from faculty to the NFL, and interim coach Thomas Brown mentioned Monday, “Anticipating guys to come back in from Day 1 and simply have all of the solutions [isn’t] lifelike and shouldn’t be the expectation.”
Brown appeared to assist Williams considerably when he stepped in as offensive coordinator midway by the season, however earlier than that, Williams was within the fingers of Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron.
“Was I coached nicely?” Williams mentioned, laughing as he repeated a query that ought to by no means must be requested in a purposeful state of affairs. “I used to be coached nicely for the duty at hand… That’s a problem in itself to have completely different coaches all through the season and completely different terminologies and the way in which they consider in stuff and attempting to run any individual else’s offense. The collective, or the general a part of the 12 months, I’d say that I used to be coached nicely.”
There’s no means that’s appropriate. Perhaps Williams was being merciful, and clearly he doesn’t know what it’s prefer to be coached by somebody like Kevin O’Connell, Matt LaFleur or Ben Johnson, however the Bears’ teaching absolutely was extra of a hindrance than a assist this season.
