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Caleb Williams wasn't entirely awful, per se, as a rookie for the Chicago Bears last season.
In between mind-numbing moments of incompetence and good old-fashioned poor Bears luck, there were plenty of flashes to show Williams might well reach his immense potential in the future. Even after a recent weird pre-draft controversy about him and his dad apparently wanting to avoid the Bears before he got drafted, everything is still on the table.
One problem to tackle right away is Williams' questionable body language. As a rookie thrown into the fire of a rudderless organization, Williams probably reacted a bit too much to all the external turmoil happening around him in 2024. His nonexistent poker face in the face of the Bears' best efforts at being energy vampires meant you often saw him actively stewing in frustration, wondering where it all went wrong. Given Williams' de facto status as the leader of Chicago's roster, it wouldn't be too hard to assume that these emotional, memeable reactions often trickled down to his teammates, who would sometimes watch their field general pout instead of putting on a brave face for a grueling 60-minute game.
This, in no uncertain terms, is a not-so-small problem for a person who wants to be the first superstar quarterback for the NFL's charter franchise since World War II.
Bears hotshot head coach Ben Johnson is the ringleader behind trying to get Williams to correct this questionable behavior. He has stated he wants Williams to roll with the punches more when bad plays inevitably happen. Yes, even when he gets painfully sandwiched between two defenders on a sack. Yes, even when he can't get the Bears offense going in an abysmal single-digit points effort to lose an important primetime game. Yes, even when half the fanbase will want the backup quarterback to start by default during the Bears' first losing streak in October 2025.
MORE WILLIAMS COACHING: Ben Johnson's early approach is far cry from disorganized Matt Eberflus
Because these things happen in pro football. They're part of the game. You have to embrace them:
Did the Bears deal Williams an awful hand to start his NFL career? Yes. I don't even think this is debatable.
While none of this exercise is played in a vacuum, I'm sure a whole host of other teams would've done a better, more comprehensive job for Williams as a rookie. Bungling the early development of a talented quarterback prospect is just kind of what the Bears do. It's their whole thing. Williams was and is perfectly within his rights to be frustrated by this.
But Williams also plays by a different set of rules. It's what he signed up for. Even in an "ideal" situation, he would have faced adversity eventually. He would've taken problematic drive-killing sacks and made boneheaded throws at the worst possible time. He wouldn't have appreciated some of his coaches' or teammates' mistakes happening around him. That's life in the NFL. Better yet, that's just life. Sometimes being the quarterback, the leader, the head of the snake, if you will, means you don't get to openly pout and wear your heart on your sleeve.
Williams simply isn't allowed to be frustrated like everyone else. He, more than anyone else, has to get up off the mat quickest after he's knocked down.
The job prerequisite of a quarterback is showing steely nerves to inspire belief in yourself and everyone else wearing the same helmet as you. Nothing less. It demands so much mental fortitude that it boggles the mind. There's a reason this isn't for everyone and why half of the league barely has viable quarterback play year over year. If this equation were based on physical ability alone, someone like JaMarcus Russell might have been one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Williams is getting a much-needed education about what it'll take to climb to the NFL's mountain in arguably its toughest city. Learning that the buck starts and stops with him in almost every instance, in almost every situation, should be a huge step forward.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bears weirdly want Caleb Williams to have better body language
Continue reading...
In between mind-numbing moments of incompetence and good old-fashioned poor Bears luck, there were plenty of flashes to show Williams might well reach his immense potential in the future. Even after a recent weird pre-draft controversy about him and his dad apparently wanting to avoid the Bears before he got drafted, everything is still on the table.
One problem to tackle right away is Williams' questionable body language. As a rookie thrown into the fire of a rudderless organization, Williams probably reacted a bit too much to all the external turmoil happening around him in 2024. His nonexistent poker face in the face of the Bears' best efforts at being energy vampires meant you often saw him actively stewing in frustration, wondering where it all went wrong. Given Williams' de facto status as the leader of Chicago's roster, it wouldn't be too hard to assume that these emotional, memeable reactions often trickled down to his teammates, who would sometimes watch their field general pout instead of putting on a brave face for a grueling 60-minute game.
This, in no uncertain terms, is a not-so-small problem for a person who wants to be the first superstar quarterback for the NFL's charter franchise since World War II.
Bears hotshot head coach Ben Johnson is the ringleader behind trying to get Williams to correct this questionable behavior. He has stated he wants Williams to roll with the punches more when bad plays inevitably happen. Yes, even when he gets painfully sandwiched between two defenders on a sack. Yes, even when he can't get the Bears offense going in an abysmal single-digit points effort to lose an important primetime game. Yes, even when half the fanbase will want the backup quarterback to start by default during the Bears' first losing streak in October 2025.
MORE WILLIAMS COACHING: Ben Johnson's early approach is far cry from disorganized Matt Eberflus
Because these things happen in pro football. They're part of the game. You have to embrace them:
Did the Bears deal Williams an awful hand to start his NFL career? Yes. I don't even think this is debatable.
While none of this exercise is played in a vacuum, I'm sure a whole host of other teams would've done a better, more comprehensive job for Williams as a rookie. Bungling the early development of a talented quarterback prospect is just kind of what the Bears do. It's their whole thing. Williams was and is perfectly within his rights to be frustrated by this.
But Williams also plays by a different set of rules. It's what he signed up for. Even in an "ideal" situation, he would have faced adversity eventually. He would've taken problematic drive-killing sacks and made boneheaded throws at the worst possible time. He wouldn't have appreciated some of his coaches' or teammates' mistakes happening around him. That's life in the NFL. Better yet, that's just life. Sometimes being the quarterback, the leader, the head of the snake, if you will, means you don't get to openly pout and wear your heart on your sleeve.
Williams simply isn't allowed to be frustrated like everyone else. He, more than anyone else, has to get up off the mat quickest after he's knocked down.
The job prerequisite of a quarterback is showing steely nerves to inspire belief in yourself and everyone else wearing the same helmet as you. Nothing less. It demands so much mental fortitude that it boggles the mind. There's a reason this isn't for everyone and why half of the league barely has viable quarterback play year over year. If this equation were based on physical ability alone, someone like JaMarcus Russell might have been one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Williams is getting a much-needed education about what it'll take to climb to the NFL's mountain in arguably its toughest city. Learning that the buck starts and stops with him in almost every instance, in almost every situation, should be a huge step forward.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bears weirdly want Caleb Williams to have better body language
Continue reading...
