DJ Moore wasn’t ready to embrace the idea of Chicago drafting Caleb Williams. He felt the Bears already had a good thing going with Justin Fields. The former quarterback finished 2023 playing some of his best football. Moore had the best season of his career. Why ruin a good thing? Still, GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus felt a change was needed. The passing game wasn’t progressing nearly enough to make this team competitive. That is why they eventually settled on taking Williams #1 overall.
Fast-forward a few months, and Moore has completely changed his tune. He is now a huge supporter of the rookie, believing he has the talent and mental capacity to be something special for the organization. Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic caught a quote from the wide receiver that stood out.
“I never see him down after a certain play. Just having that short-term memory is real short-term with him. He’ll let the play go and then when we go to the sideline, bring it up, go through the whole thing. That’s unique. If a quarterback can remember all the plays that he ran and the ones he messed up for sure, we’ve got something special.”
That quote is noteworthy. If anybody has followed NFL history, they almost certainly would’ve heard it once or twice when people describe great quarterbacks. One example is former New York Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi describing Hall of Fame legend Johnny Unitas that way.
DJ Moore knows Williams isn’t afraid to make mistakes.
Everybody loves referencing the Notre Dame game last year as a sign of the quarterback’s deficiencies. Poles actually saw it as a sign that Williams was made for the NFL. The Irish intercepted him three times in the first half, building a 24-3 lead. Yet the quarterback was undaunted. He led a field goal drive to close out the half, and then produced two touchdown drives in the 3rd quarter to chew into Notre Dame’s lead. Unfortunately, a kickoff return score and a fumble by Trojans receiver Mario Williams that was returned for a TD killed their comeback hopes.
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Yes, Williams bore a lot of responsibility for that loss, but it’s not like he didn’t fight back to make it a game. DJ Moore and others can plainly see that never-say-die mentality in him. No wonder they’re so excited about what’s to come. Williams will have his growing pains. That much is inevitable. It is how the NFL works. His key is to take it one play at a time and not dwell on the mistakes. By all accounts, that won’t be an issue in the coming months.
Waldron needs to get Caleb off to a good start with easy completions. And the OL, especially Davis, must protect him. If they can do that, let the gun slinger do his thing and enjoy the show!
@PoochPest @mbearest I can agree with that. I do believe the beard will help with not playing scared. I think Flus having more confidence in his QB during high pressure and crunch time moments will go a lot farther.
Agree Pooch, ‘flus needs to heed this. At crunch time his tendency is to play soft and let them catch it in front of you, even if the team has been pitching a shutout for 58 minutes doing otherwise. Then on Offense they will run the ball 3 times and punt, and just be content to eat up clock. Maybe the beard will change that.
“Not being afraid to make mistakes.” Is the advice I would give everyone. Coa he’s AND players have to think that way. I thought that Fields greatest problem was the coaches constantly warning him not to throw interceptions. And then, not to fumble.
Williams has thrown a ton of passes. He is extremely invested in the game, even when he’s not IN the game. He talks to the receivers constantly about what they are doing, what the defenders are doing, what he is trying to do. It keeps them invested and focused as well.
My Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr RCs do not say anything about their mistakes on the back of the cards. Short-run mistakes are okay unless mindlessness perpetuates them in the long run. Got to have a positive learning curve with nerves of steel.