Caleb Williams came in with a lot of fanfare when the Chicago Bears drafted him #1 overall. Many declared him the best prospect since Andrew Luck. He plays the game like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. The hype got way out of control, which is probably why legendary coach Nick Saban warned Matt Eberflus about the danger of expectations. As a result, Williams looked a little too juiced up in his debut against the Tennessee Titans. He managed only 93 yards passing with some inaccuracy issues showing up constantly.
Inevitably, the knee-jerk reactions came swiftly. Many critics raised red flags about the performance, wondering if Williams was vastly overrated. Some feared the Bears had once again found a way to pick the wrong quarterback, conveniently ignoring all the other rookie starters struggled, too. The big question is whether people inside Halas Hall share the same concerns. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided an update on that. From everything he’s heard, there is zero panic.
Caleb Williams is seeing many things for the first time.
What the Titans threw at him last week was something he rarely saw in college. Only Notre Dame did, and he unsurprisingly struggled. Quarterbacks don’t immediately learn to counter defensive speed and complexity like that. They have to see it enough times on the field and on film. Once that happens, they start learning ways to counter them. The Bears know this. Eberflus even said it would probably be three or four games before the rookie began figuring things out.
Until then, they must accept the roller coaster. He will make mistakes and not always look sharp. This team already proved it is good enough to stay in games even when the quarterback struggles. Caleb Williams doesn’t have to be Superman. He only has to keep the offense on schedule, produce a few scoring drives, and protect the football. His talented supporting cast should take care of the rest. It is nice to hear the Bears aren’t overreacting to something they should’ve expected.
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