Case Keenum knows the exact reason the Chicago Bears signed him. The veteran quarterback has been in this position multiple times in his career. They view him as a smart, experienced player who can serve as a strong backup and be a mentor and sounding board for a young high draft pick. Keenum already served that role in Cleveland (Baker Mayfield), Buffalo (Josh Allen), and Houston (C.J. Stroud). His next challenge was serving that purpose for Caleb Williams in Chicago.
The Bears initially had that plan last year when they signed Brett Rypien. Unfortunately, their attempts to stash him on the practice squad were ruined when Minnesota signed him instead. Rather than try to find somebody else, they rode it out with Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed. Neither proved helpful to Williams. Head coach Ben Johnson made sure to correct that mistake by signing Keenum. As first impressions go, the 37-year-old admitted Williams is nothing like the person he expected.
“He’s just a sponge. For being an all-world talent, a guy who has, since high school, been the best player on any field anywhere he has ever stepped on, to be humble enough to ask me questions and watch and learn has been really refreshing to see.”
Case Keenum pokes another hole in the Williams-is-lazy balloon.
The former #1 overall pick has every right to feel at least a little entitled. He’s been the big man on campus everywhere he’s been since high school. One could excuse him for having an ego and not feeling like he needs a mentor. Instead, he welcomed what the Bears were trying to do for him. Case Keenum has been around the game for a long time, playing in all sorts of different offenses. He started in playoff games, won playoff games, and rubbed shoulders with the NFL’s best. Why wouldn’t you ask that guy as many questions as possible? Tom Brady did it with Drew Bledsoe. Aaron Rodgers probably did it with Brett Favre. Mayfield, Allen, and Stroud did it with Keenum. The results for them certainly improved. Williams isn’t stupid. If you have a resource, use it.
I don’t mind criticizing Caleb for his work. It was not perfect, he does have to learn from his mistakes, however, it looks like too many are willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater. He did show flaws, but he also showed growth under trying circumstances. To simply disregard that growth and the rest of the positives he showed as failure because his advanced numbers didn’t show what Jalen Daniels did is severely under informed in my opinion. The standard numbers were as impressive as any of the 3 QBs. Pass yards, run yards, ball control etc was… Read more »
@Berry, plays that lead to points at any point of the game is used to factor EPA. So if 1st down is a 7 yard loss then the epa will suffer. If a 7 yard loss in replaced by an 3 yard gain into 2nd and 7, then the play would help epa. Even plays that led to drives sustaining gained yardage but failed to result in points is positive for epa. It’s what has each play done to possibly score points. It really is on both the QB and the coaches to manage this. Playcalling for a rookie QB… Read more »
@citizen34 I can throw zero INTs across an entire NFL season by throwing the ball directly into the ground on every play, and so can you. Jalen Hurts was the best QB in the league last year because he’s the QB with the 2024 Super Bowl ring.
As @Krisanthony pointed out, avoiding interceptions at all costs isn’t going to be central to the offensive identity in 2025. QB1 will throw more. That’s not inherently bad.
@Gator Joe Words matter in the same way as, say, body language during games matters. So if that’s what Keenum meant, then it isn’t what he said — or if it is what he said, then it’s not what’s being reported here.
After the breathless hype fed to fans before, during, and after last year’s draft, then the subsequent shit-show we all witnessed, I am finding it very difficult to give any of these guys the benefit of the doubt.
@Krisanthony It’s my understanding that EPA prioritizes sustaining drives that lead to points early on in games, because that production is more predictive of wins than playing hero ball in the fourth quarter, or putting up garbage-time numbers late in the game in blowout losses. That’s why I don’t think it’s even a matter of QB1 throwing into tight windows (or as I prefer to say it, throwing into coverage). It’s a matter of figuring out how to get him going right from the jump. The last guy was efficient early on in games (under Luke Getsy’s scheme), which is… Read more »