One of the biggest problems with the Chicago Bears isn’t that they’re cheap or ignorant of player needs. They’ve been pretty good about providing necessary resources. The core issue, or at least one of them, has been the franchise’s inability to take advantage of new trends. There was a time when the Bears were on the cutting edge of football. George Halas was among the first to utilize training camps, coaching staffs, and a passing offense that featured a man in motion. Buddy Ryan revolutionized NFL defense in the 1980s with his exotic blitz schemes. After that, the Bears have been one of those teams that are constantly behind the times. Now, a new trend is emerging, and it could help Caleb Williams develop.
Virtual reality has long been considered a novelty. It’s cool to a certain extent, but the technology never made it commercially viable in the 1990s and 2000s. Things have changed. Modern tech has made it more advanced than ever, and one of the growing industries is football simulations. Washington Commanders breakout star Jayden Daniels credits it with his excellent processing speed, running plays at 1.75 times normal speed. He is no longer alone. The current #1 overall pick, Cam Ward, also credits VR for transforming his game.
Since processing speed is considered Williams’ primary issue going into this season, the Bears seem to be doing him a disservice by not utilizing this.
Caleb Williams isn’t just up against other good quarterbacks.
He’s up against those who are ready and willing to embrace every technological advancement to improve. Nobody disputes the work ethic of the Bears quarterback. He puts in all the time necessary to become great. The issue is he’s making it harder for himself than it needs to be. If VR can help sharpen the one area of his game that is considered a weakness, Caleb Williams is duty-bound to at least try it. Money isn’t an issue. Just one game check from his rookie contract should be more than enough to pay for the best setup. The Bears have plenty of tech experts. They could easily revamp an entire room inside Halas Hall to accommodate this. It’d be like a holodeck from the classic Star Trek episodes. This is not something the Bears should hesitate on. Don’t let other teams get the jump on them again.
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