The study of Caleb Williams was ceaseless by fans, scouts, and draft experts from the moment he stepped on the field for the first time at Oklahoma. Over the next three years, plenty of conclusions were reached. He’s athletic and mobile, displays uncanny accuracy on the run, senses pressure really well, and has enough arm strength to make any throw. Physically, there were zero concerns about his prospects for the NFL outside of his slightly shorter size (6’1). What the Chicago Bears needed to find out was what went on between the ears.
They knew Williams would be walking into a pressure cooker if they drafted him. Chicago is a passionate sports town, and it can be inhospitable if you don’t produce. Any quarterback they picked would need serious mental toughness. After exhaustive research and meetings, they felt Williams had passed all the tests. In the months since, the quarterback’s maturity has been evident. However, something else has emerged that people didn’t fully grasp.
His intelligence.
One of the biggest assets you often find with great quarterbacks is their ability to read and recall information about the defenses they face. They saw not just the coverage but also specific details from each defender. Williams showed that he could do this after the Buffalo game when describing his 13-yard scramble. Well, he just did it again with the 43-yard pass interference against Cincinnati.
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Caleb Williams will be just fine if this is who he is.
His understanding of coverages alone is encouraging. Each explanation revealed that he not only understood what to do in those specific situations but also had the processing speed to take advantage in real-time. That is often what separates good quarterbacks from everybody else. For all the talk about arm strength and mobility, it remains a thinking man’s position. Williams gets that. It is evident he studied a lot and was ready for anything the opponents threw at him.
The challenge moving forward is learning to execute with greater precision. Caleb Williams isn’t quite there yet, which is no surprise. Rookies always require time to master the speed of the NFL level. There will be moments when he’s a split-second late recognizing something, which leads to a mistake. The trick is learning from those moments and applying them to his overall education. It doesn’t sound like that will be a problem. Williams has the mind for this game.
@Veece — I agree with you on the player that I have called, Nate “Where’s Waldo?” Davis since before he ever set foot on the field at Halas Hall (If I was able to discover that the Titans knew Davis was a player who “failed to give 100%, 100% of the time” why didn’t Ryan Poles know it, too?). But, since Poles hates to cut “his mistakes” see: Lucas Patrick, Velus Jones Jr., Dominique Robinson, etc., let’s see if QB Caleb Williams can straighten this bum out. If it were me — Davis would never have made it past the… Read more »
@TGena There is no resurrecting Davis’ career. His path is of his own doing. For a veteran to go out there in the preseason and play like he did is unacceptable. First, there was the missed assignment on a running play for Herbert where Davis obviously didn’t know what to do. WTF? Second, there was the “whiff” of a pass block on rookie DT Kris Jenkins that allowed the Bengal 1st year to get a sack on Caleb. Total crap! Top OGs don’t make stupid mistakes like that. Half ass players do! It’s all about effort. Effort to study the… Read more »
@Dr. Steven Sallie —
Thank you, Doctor Stephano for a much more accurate description.
Or my old fave: “martyrdom.”
Caleb Williams has been as advertised.
But here’s the ultimate challenge for a QB at any level of the game:
Retrieve a fallen teammate.
If Caleb Williams can recover the seemingly lost career of Nate Davis we’ll be able to add miracle worker to CW18’s working title.
Then, it’ll be: On to “sainthood.”