Usually, when a player and coach arrive at an organization at the same time, the player is scrutinized more than the coach. That isn’t the case with the Chicago Bears. While Caleb Williams might be a rookie, most agree he has performed admirably in difficult conditions. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron hasn’t done a great job building the offense around his young quarterback. The offensive line looks disjointed. Running backs haven’t found enough lanes. Even the wide receivers struggle to get open.
Former defensive end Chris Long won two Super Bowls during his career. In that time, he played on teams that had some poorly constructed offenses and teams that had excellent offenses. He knows the difference. From what he sees in Chicago, he is unimpressed with Waldron and said as much on The Rich Eisen Show.
Shane Waldron didn’t seem to come in with a plan.
He doesn’t exactly know what he wants the Bears offense to be. That lack of identity leads to uncertainty and uncertainty leads to mistakes. Long pointed out that the Washington Commanders made sure to have a plan for Jayden Daniels when he arrived. They were going to run a quick-hitting offense to get the ball out of his hands, run the ball consistently, and let the rookie use his legs when necessary. It is simple, but the players embraced it from the start and now Washington is racking up points.
Last weekend against Los Angeles felt like the first time Shane Waldron actually knew what he wanted to do. The Bears committed to running the ball while having Williams focus on high-percentage passes meant to stay ahead of the chains. It didn’t yield big numbers, but it ensured a victory. If this is how Waldron keeps things moving forward, you can at least say he stuck with what works. Whether that yields bigger results down the line is another story.
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@Tred Sorry, but TGena and others have pointed out the offensive line for years. ALL teams have 5 basic linemen on each play. ALL teams have good ones or not-so-great linemen. ALL teams have injuries. It is the JOB of the line coach, to get every single lineman ready to play whatever position is needed. Some will do it with ease and others will struggle. But the baseline is: they have to do it as individuals and together. Great ones will pancake or stonewall their own assignment and help out. Not-so-great UDFA, rookies or new additions will ask for help.… Read more »
It is good for Chris Long to point this out, and for Erik Lambert to repeat it, for for Chicago fans to hear it: IT’S THE COACHING (COORDINATING)!!!! I hate saying “I told you so,” because it’s embarrassing, but there are players lives being ruined, budgets being blown through and time being wasted (including generations of lives lost). CJ Stroud and Jayden Daniels are smart guys, but they aren’t, smarter than Caleb Williams and Justin Fields. It’s the coaching. There are standard formats for getting new, rookie quarterbacks integrated into both the pro game, and complex offenses quickly. Neither Bill… Read more »
What is holding Caleb Williams back is the sad and deeply flawed belief by Ryan Poles that this offensive line was good enough. Period. Williams is not the problem, and Waldron is only a part of the issue. When you cannot block, when the majority of your OL is getting penalties, missing assignments, and throwing Ole’ blocks at air, even Bill Walsh couldn’t call a successful offense. Part of the problem is clearly coaching. The Bears too often don’t know their assignments. They don’t help each other too often for it all to be just coincidence. Clearly they aren’t playing… Read more »
As I said the defense and special teams will carry the load until Caleb and the offense Jell, hopefully before the first bye week. Believe I mentioned something about Tory flipping the field and winning games with just his leg.
Again, it’s still too early to pass judgement. A lot of new pieces coming together. They’re moving in the right direction. Stay patient.