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Caleb Williams wasn't bad as a rookie, but the Bears quarterback didn't have the immediate success many in Chicago expected when the Bears selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. While some of that disappointment is Williams' responsibility, it's become increasingly clear that the Bears organization didn't help their anointed savior very well, either.
In a forthcoming book, ESPN's Seth Wickersham reveals how poorly the Bears, notably now-fired head coach Matt Eberflus, failed to help Williams during his transition from college to the NFL. An excerpt from Wickersham discusses how Williams didn't understand how to watch film, and Eberflus & Co. didn't even bother to try and teach it to him.
The inability to process defenses and react to what he was seeing--which is what studying film should help with--was clear for Williams. He was sacked 68 times and routinely a half-count or count late in getting the ball out to where and when it needed to be. A largely broken offensive line and Williams' own tendencies from college to hold the ball too long and eschew the layups for higher risk/reward plays certainly play roles in the issues, but Williams not understanding how to process basic game film concepts is a glaring issue.
It's not an issue unique to Williams. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky related how the Rams hired him at the end of his NFL quarterbacking tenure to teach Jared Goff how to watch film and identify basic football concepts after Goff's oft-ugly rookie season. A coaching change from Jeff Fisher to Sean McVay reinforced helping Goff, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, become a much better player, and Orlovsky was part of that. From Doug Farrar,
It's an odd parallel to compare Williams and Goff. Beyond being No. 1 overall picks, they have little in common; the two play the quarterback position about as divergently as possible. Yet the move from Fisher to McVay, an energetic, offensive-minded coach who understands that developing a quarterback requires serious work and dedication McVay was willing to provide, transformed Goff from a potential bust into a Pro Bowler in 2017 and a Super Bowl berth one year later.
Chicago is banking on Ben Johnson being able to do the same with Williams. Ironically, Johnson has been Goff's offensive coordinator with Detroit during his last three seasons. A former college QB himself, Johnson is obsessed with the small details and intricacies of playing the position. It's safe to say Williams didn't get anything like that at all from Eberflus as a rookie. Chasing Goff and the Lions was that much harder because Williams didn't know what he didn't know. Johnson will make sure Williams will know all he can now.
Will it work? We'll see. It certainly can't hurt the young Williams to learn film study and defensive processing from a more involved, invested coaching staff. Consider that any of Goff's last three seasons under Johnson would blow away the Bears' single-season passing records. Williams can quickly rewrite his story after a first year that didn't go as well as it could have.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Caleb Williams can follow Jared Goff's path after tough rookie years
Continue reading...
In a forthcoming book, ESPN's Seth Wickersham reveals how poorly the Bears, notably now-fired head coach Matt Eberflus, failed to help Williams during his transition from college to the NFL. An excerpt from Wickersham discusses how Williams didn't understand how to watch film, and Eberflus & Co. didn't even bother to try and teach it to him.
The inability to process defenses and react to what he was seeing--which is what studying film should help with--was clear for Williams. He was sacked 68 times and routinely a half-count or count late in getting the ball out to where and when it needed to be. A largely broken offensive line and Williams' own tendencies from college to hold the ball too long and eschew the layups for higher risk/reward plays certainly play roles in the issues, but Williams not understanding how to process basic game film concepts is a glaring issue.
It's not an issue unique to Williams. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky related how the Rams hired him at the end of his NFL quarterbacking tenure to teach Jared Goff how to watch film and identify basic football concepts after Goff's oft-ugly rookie season. A coaching change from Jeff Fisher to Sean McVay reinforced helping Goff, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, become a much better player, and Orlovsky was part of that. From Doug Farrar,
It's an odd parallel to compare Williams and Goff. Beyond being No. 1 overall picks, they have little in common; the two play the quarterback position about as divergently as possible. Yet the move from Fisher to McVay, an energetic, offensive-minded coach who understands that developing a quarterback requires serious work and dedication McVay was willing to provide, transformed Goff from a potential bust into a Pro Bowler in 2017 and a Super Bowl berth one year later.
Chicago is banking on Ben Johnson being able to do the same with Williams. Ironically, Johnson has been Goff's offensive coordinator with Detroit during his last three seasons. A former college QB himself, Johnson is obsessed with the small details and intricacies of playing the position. It's safe to say Williams didn't get anything like that at all from Eberflus as a rookie. Chasing Goff and the Lions was that much harder because Williams didn't know what he didn't know. Johnson will make sure Williams will know all he can now.
Will it work? We'll see. It certainly can't hurt the young Williams to learn film study and defensive processing from a more involved, invested coaching staff. Consider that any of Goff's last three seasons under Johnson would blow away the Bears' single-season passing records. Williams can quickly rewrite his story after a first year that didn't go as well as it could have.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Caleb Williams can follow Jared Goff's path after tough rookie years
Continue reading...
