Chicago Bears fans couldn’t have asked for much better from Caleb Williams on Sunday night. The young quarterback delivered a strong performance against the Buffalo Bills, finishing 6-of-10 for 101 yards and a touchdown. Everything about his operation was clean. He made good decisions, played on time, and never looked rattled. However, it wasn’t quite perfect. The Bears were on their way to another score on Williams’ second drive. Then things stalled out when a 3rd down pass fell incomplete.
It came on an out route to Rome Odunze. Initial reactions were that the wide receiver should’ve caught the pass. It went through his hands after all, even if he had to dive to get it. Even former tight end Greg Olsen said as much. You need to catch a pass like that.
Williams was asked about the play after the game. His perspective was significantly different. Everything that went wrong was his fault. Before the snap, he’d changed the protections. Then he compounded that mistake by retreating from his initial drop despite the running back picking up the blitz. The pass would’ve been more accurate if he’d maintained his original stance.
Caleb Williams keeps showing his understanding of leadership.
Was the play actually his fault? That is debatable. Sure, the throw could’ve been better, but he still put it in a spot where Odunze had a chance. It was a drop. That isn’t the point, though. Caleb Williams is the quarterback. He is the leader. Everything that happens with this offense goes through him. Fair or not, he needs to accept blame when things go wrong. Joe Montana perfected this art in the 1980s. Whenever an offensive lineman or somebody else made a mistake, he quickly pointed out that he had made a bad call. Conversely, he gave all credit for big plays to his teammates.
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A selfless approach like that made it easier for guys to play hard for him. That is what Williams wants to do. He will take the heat for his guys, even when it might not be warranted. For a 23-year-old to comprehend something like this is a great sign of the future.
