It isn’t fun being Caleb Williams right now. Following another offensive disaster on Sunday, the rookie quarterback has now been sacked 15 times in the last two games, 38 for the season. He is on pace for 71 by the end of the year, which would come dangerously close to the NFL record set by David Carr in 2002. Everybody remembers what happened to that former #1 overall pick, too. That is not a road the Chicago Bears want to go down. The problem is offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and his staff don’t seem to have any answers.
The offensive line is banged up everywhere, and the passing scheme seems unable to get wide receivers open on any regular basis. It seems like every time an opponent decides to blitz, Williams is going down. The rookie looks skittish and gun-shy. His frustration is palpable. After the game, head coach Matt Eberflus admitted that everything was on the table regarding a possible change at play caller. Sure enough, the quarterback was asked about it. Williams basically indicated the Bears wouldn’t miss Waldron were that to happen.
“We’re not gonna reinvent the wheel.”
Caleb Williams’ comments aren’t surprising.
There has been no indication that Waldron has an understanding of how to work to his players’ strengths. There is no identity or sense of a plan. It feels like he is trying to throw stuff against the wall, hoping something sticks. When you do that with a rookie quarterback behind a makeshift offensive line? It’s a recipe for disaster. Rumblings out of Seattle indicated this was always a problem with Waldron, but it never got out of control. Perhaps that is because he had Pete Carroll, a Hall of Fame coach, looking over his shoulder.
He doesn’t have anything close to that with Matt Eberflus.
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Nobody should blame Caleb Williams for his lack of willingness to back Waldron. It’s not like the offensive coordinator has done him any favors. He and other team captains literally had to intervene earlier in the season to stop Waldron from messing things up. It appears that the solution was only temporary. There is no fixing this. The only possible answer left is to give somebody else a shot. It probably won’t work, but what they’re doing now already isn’t.
Seeing Waldron’s inability to design plays to the players strengths and the fact that the team has no identity makes me wonder why Eberflus and Poles signed him in the first place!
@Dr. Melhus – I don’t believe you have any reason to fear your greatest fear coming true.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. How is Williams’ relationship qb coach Kerry Joseph?
If it’s good consider promoting him to OC for the rest of the season. Why? Because of his CFL experience. That is a pass-first offense-oriented brand of football and it’s the direction the NFL is leaning.
If Joseph has any OC aspirations now is a good time to give him a shot. He can’t fix the OL but he may have better ideas for getting the most out of the offense.
Just let it go. At least the Steelers and Fields won this week. That should make every righteous Bears fan feel good. I know I do.
It seems the Bears players are beyond circling the wagons, and are just waiting for the axe to fall. I expect news either tomorrow, or next Monday after the Packers embarrass the Bears next week.
Of course, the big fear is that they suddenly go on a tear, win 6-8 games, and do just enough to let the coaching staff stick around another year. Uggh, that would be pretty bad.