Hiring Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator felt logical for the Chicago Bears. He’d had three productive years in Seattle, helping orchestrate Geno Smith’s career revival. It seemed like he was a sensible choice to help the organization lay the foundation for Caleb Williams’ arrival. Yet through the first two weeks of the season, Waldron’s impact on the offense has looked ugly. The Bears have one of the worst rushing attacks in the league, and Williams has already been sacked nine times.
Plenty of experts and former players have criticized Waldron for his poor job. This is somewhat perplexing because the young coach had a reputation for creativity in Seattle. What happened? This may sound odd, but it is possible Waldron might be cracking under the pressures of his new position. Maybe it’s an overreaction, but recent video footage says otherwise. The first glimpse came in the opener against Tennessee, where cameras appeared to catch him slightly shaking on the sideline.
Now, obviously, that is far from enough evidence to suggest anything until more surfaced in the loss to Houston last Sunday night. Again, cameras found him on the sideline. He was in the middle of calling a play. You can clearly see the call sheet shaking as he does so.
Is Shane Waldron cracking under the pressure?
It is safe to say he is under a much hotter spotlight. He had things pretty easy in Seattle, first inheriting Russell Wilson and then dealing with a veteran like Smith. Here, he inherits a #1 overall pick, widely considered one of the best to come out of college in years. That comes with far higher expectations. There is also the fact that Chicago is a much larger media market, ranking third in the entire country. Seattle is a distant 12th. Bears fans also have a reputation for being quite vocal.
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Maybe Shane Waldron is finally realizing that he wasn’t prepared for the challenges this job would entail. As the offense continues to struggle, the pressure mounts. If he really is wilting under it, the Bears have a legitimate crisis on their hands. The last thing they need for Williams is a coordinator who can’t handle the highs and lows of the job.
There may be nothing to this. The clips might just be overblown. Still, it is hard not to feel like something deeper is going on.
