When asked about his biggest challenge since transitioning to an NFL offense, Caleb Williams was honest. It is reading blitzes and making adjustments at the line of scrimmage. This is hardly a surprise. Defenses are incredibly diverse at this level and use all sorts of tricks to mask their intentions to blitz. It is why quarterbacks must constantly study film, looking for tells of when one is coming. Williams didn’t have to do that a lot in college because those defenses don’t go through the trouble of constant disguising.
Recent word suggests the Chicago Bears quarterback is improving in that department. He’s learning where and when the defense is planning a blitz and has managed to beat more than a few of them. However, another issue has popped up, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. This isn’t one the quarterback probably expected to deal with.
“There are some technique matters that Williams is still working through. Eberflus said Williams has practiced taking snaps from under center for years with his private quarterback coach, since he knew he was going to be a pro quarterback and his college offenses didn’t offer him the chance to work from under center very much. But he also said Williams is still working on his run game footwork from under center, mainly because he’s getting used to the speed at which NFL players run.”
Don’t forget Williams spent almost his entire college career in shotgun. Most of his handoffs consisted of pivoting to his right or left and feeding the back. He never had to cover any ground. That is different under center, where he’s required to turn his back to the line of scrimmage and get the ball to the back with the right timing.
Caleb Williams will soon learn the necessity of his footwork.
One of the biggest advantages of running from under center is it makes the play action game far more effective. It becomes difficult for the defense to identify when runs or passes are coming because each looks identical from snap to handoff. By the time they figure out the quarterback kept the ball, they’re already a split second behind, allowing receivers to get separation for a big play. Williams is smart. He will quickly recognize why he must master each drop and sell every handoff. It is all to his benefit in the end.
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The good news is that he has a capable offensive coordinator guiding him. Shane Waldron showed at the Hall of Fame game that he understands how to coach his quarterbacks. Brett Rypien spent last year with him in Seattle. He looked excellent against Houston, executing every play efficiently, including handoffs. Caleb Williams can use him as an example to polish his own technique. He should have everything ironed out by next month when the games get real.
Well, if only Caleb had in-depth knowledge of quantum mechanics, quantum biology, and evolutionary psychology, then this story would not be as dramatic or misunderstood. It’s never too late to learn.
To give credit where it’s due… @Tred pointed to this concern pretty heavily prior to the draft. And he def wasn’t wrong. It was indeed a concern with CW coming out of college, and I’m sure it’s a serious learning process. This is an early issue for many QB’s coming in to the NFL within the past several years. CW will be fine… he will have it ironed out in the pre season. I firmly believe his talent & work ethic are both at an elite level, and this won’t be a concern at all within a month.
More importantly, St. Lucia wins its first Gold Medal in the rain today. See, all that colonialism and imperialism paid off at last. Let’s see if Erik can weave a story out of this comment without mentioning Biles winning her 10th Gold. I predict her husband, the Bears safety, Owens? will do even better than expected now. (No, I have not been there, but only to Havana and Santo Domingo.)
All my sarcasm aside. Williams seems like a good, smart guy. Let’s hope that Bears offensive coaching isn’t REALLY a wood chipper.
Marc Trestman signed on as an offensive analyst with Jim Harbaugh under Greg Roman.
Ha! Reading Erik Lambert write about how Williams has an offensive coordinator “who knows how to coach quarterbacks,” sounds a lot like an implication that the Bears haven’t HAD a coordinator who could coach quarterbacks.
I wonder if that is what he’s suggesting. Incidentally, same issues that Fields had in Chicago. Except the guy just couldn’t coach himself to success. “He is who he is . . . ” “after three years of being in a circus, he came out looking like a clown???”