The Chicago Bears are 4-2, their best start since 2013. Many fans believe this might be the most well-balanced team they’ve had since at least 2018. Their defense is once again among the league’s elite. By far, the bigger surprise is how much better their offense has become. They rank 12th in scoring and have scored 30+ points in back-to-back games. Cole Kmet has been a big part of that surge, showcasing his evolving ability as both a blocker and pass catcher. Even so, some are skeptical.
They don’t believe this entire thing is sustainable once the Bears start facing tougher opponents starting next month, with the NFC North, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks all on the schedule. Kmet was asked about this during his latest presser. For the first time, it felt like the tight end had a calm confidence about the situation. He has no problem believing the Bears can get even better from where they are. Why? It starts with the new kid they have under center.
“I mean, for me, it’s just hard not to say the quarterback. The quarterback looks really good. He’s super talented and can do a lot of good things with his legs and his arm. I think the things that he does in the pocket as a rookie is really impressive. I think those are the things you can look at and rely on week to week, whether that’s the intermediate and short passing game. I think Caleb’s done a really good job with that. Yeah, it’s just hard for me not to say the quarterback.”
Cole Kmet offered a window into the Bears’ thinking.
This isn’t the same team from the past several years. The Bears always maintained an air of optimism and steadfast determination but never genuinely believed they were equipped to win a Super Bowl. That was always because they quietly knew there was a glaring weakness at quarterback. It feels like the entire mood of the locker room has shifted since Caleb Williams found his footing. Their confidence and swagger are building with each passing week. The #1 pick is putting together excellent performances far beyond what is expected of rookies.
If he is this capable already, there is no telling how much better he will get with each passing week as he gains experience. Cole Kmet and others in the locker room know this, too. There is enough talent on that offense to match up with any opponent they face. Whether they could execute at a high enough level has always been a question. Having a quarterback who can is the critical lynchpin to that. Kmet sure sounds confident Williams is that guy.
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@TGena Again, a very enlightening set of QB concepts for a master’s thesis, but for the doctoral dissertation, we require empirical indicators and quantitative variables to be measured and tested, preferably with controls within an explicit research design…or so they say. Keep up the good work.
Nice to have a QB to talk about.
Caleb Sequan Williams, “LLC” checks all the boxes:
▪︎ Accuracy
– ball placement
– anticipation
▪︎ Acuity
– pocket awareness
– vision
– timing within the scheme
▪︎ Competitiveness
– will
– courage
▪︎ Leadership
– football IQ
– emotional IQ
Chicago Bears fans should recognize elite anticipation and ball placement skills, if for no other reason than having Aaron Rodgers “own the Bears” based largely on that combination of skills (except recently, for the last).
If he didn’t think Caleb was the man, he would just not talk about it, giving some generic answers like “We’re playing as a team,” or “Everyone is getting 1% better every day,” or even “Our coaching is top shelf this year, and this is the most talented team we have had in years,” without talking about Caleb.
Kmet is probably truthful in his statements, but what else could he have stated to remain a Caleb friend/target and on the right side of Poles and Shane? Let me know.