Once the 2023 season ended, the Chicago Bears knew they were making a change at quarterback. Regardless of who ended up being the guy, they knew a change at offensive coordinator was required. Luke Getsy had done some good things during his two years on the job, but it was felt a fresh start was needed. They preferred somebody with a little more proven experience. That is how they settled on Shane Waldron, former offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. His experience working with Sean McVay and Pete Carroll helped sell him as the guy to help develop Caleb Williams.
What some people don’t know is whether he is ready for the job. Thus far, Waldron’s biggest successes have come from working with veterans. It was Russell Wilson in 2021, followed by Geno Smith in the next two years. He has never built a rookie from the ground up. Williams is the #1 overall pick, so it might not be as difficult as other possibilities, but the challenge is still there. Former quarterback Chris Simms isn’t too worried about it. He thinks the pairing has a chance to be great because Waldron possesses specific knowledge of something that can make Williams lethal.
Shane Waldron knows the play action magic.
It is one of the reasons that make the wide-zone style of offense so devastating. When it works, quarterbacks can utilize lethal play action fakes. Last year, Matthew Stafford averaged 10.2 yards per pass and a 104.5 passer rating off play action in Los Angeles. Kirk Cousins completed over 70% of his passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions for Minnesota. Brock Purdy averaged 10 yards per pass with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions in San Francisco. If you’re wondering whether Waldron can do it? Smith completed nearly 74% of his passes with a 111.6 rating off of play action.
Simms is correct. Williams is walking into an excellent situation under Shane Waldron. The offensive coordinator was trained by some of the best. He understands how to make life easy for the quarterback. A strong play action package is key to any development plan. The tricky part for Williams is his limited knowledge of conventional fakes. He spent most of his college career in shotgun, meaning his play action was of the run-pass option variety. It will take time to grow comfortable doing it under center.
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Once that happens, he should find big results.
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In a nutshell, is Williams smart enough to read defenses and audible while using Waldrons system and is Waldron smart enough to form his system around a QBs strengths. I think the answer to both is yes. Can’t wait for the first game.
Motion and play action work best when you have a very good run game, including a QB that can run effectively for first downs and a breakaway RB that can go all the way.