If you thought things were bad already, they can always get worse. Shane Waldron was just fired as the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator. That felt inevitable after putting up only three points against New England at home. Everything about the operation seems broken. People wanted him out. Believe it or not, fans and media weren’t the first ones to voice this. According to Marc Silverman of ESPN 1000, several players approached Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles about a coordinator change. That is how bad it got. However, it doesn’t end there. Caleb Williams was also a topic for some of them.
They want the rookie benched in favor of Tyson Bagent.
The reasoning for this isn’t hard to surmise. Since the bye week, Williams has looked lost. He’s completing barely half of his passes, averaging under 200 yards per game, hasn’t thrown a touchdown, and scored only 27 total points. He also has been sacked 18 times. One source told SM it is also because they may fear the continued beatings will get him injured. They think Eberflus is keeping him in to save his own skin.
Caleb Williams won’t be benched.
Keep in mind the quarterback isn’t the only one not playing well on that offense. The wide receivers, supposedly the strength of the entire unit, have underperformed as well. This situation is not just about the quarterback. It’s everybody. Not too long ago, Williams was playing some really good football. He is capable of it. What has happened over the past few weeks is not irreversible. This revelation feels more about certain veterans fearing for the kid’s safety. Whatever the case, the Bears have no plans of doing that. They intend to ride out the storm with Caleb Williams.
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That is the decision, for better or worse. Benching him now would not solve anything. Bagent is a backup for a reason. He isn’t some magic tonic. The best thing for the franchise is for Williams to try working through these problems. If his confidence is so easily shattered by the recent rough patch, then he was never going to become a franchise quarterback. As for the health concerns, they are valid. Unfortunately, his own competitive spirit and the survival instinct of the head coach make a change unlikely.
So . . . the consensus decision is that it isn’t the QUARTERBACK that is incompetent, but the COORDINATOR. We can always go back and blame the quarterback, but let’s start with his boss. Waldron is the guy who keeps telling you to run into a wall. Why? Cause. But why? I said so. But it hurts. Don’t worry, we have insurance. My head hurts. Trying running into with the other side of your head. Where is everyone who thinks that Fields (or Williams) “takes too many sacks.” Or that Fields (or Williams) “holds onto the ball too long.” Or… Read more »
Official voting has ended: SM Bear fans support Bagent starting against the Packers. If he gets injured first, then Caleb can follow next. Reed better suit up too just in case.
Like Love Smith, regarding Rex Grossman: “Caleb Williams is our starting QB”! Let the chaos continue, as the assembly line of dysfunction continues. Glad I was around for the 2016 Cubs, never having seen them in a World Series in my first 60 years! So, patience is a virtue we will have to exercise. But, for how long? Where to start? OWNERSHIP! IMO
It’s not the QB as much as the scheme and play calling. Omitting Kmet from the game plan for two and a half games is unforgivable. Line protection sucks, with no adjustments to get the ball out faster. That’s on the play caller too. HOWEVER, Caleb did miss, or CHOSE not to check down on many occasions by my observation. The running game needs more than Swift’s inside running, which is NOT working. Using Johnson for short yardage conversions, using jet sweeps, which worked well last season with the SAME group, quick slants, and using the MIDDLE of the field… Read more »
But starting Bagent would allow fans to see if Caleb was the problem, or part of the problem, or not. The season is a bust now anyway and you might just find out where the problem really is. After Ownership, then questionable picks by the GM, then Head Coach, then OC that is…
Maybe the Bears don’t want fans to realize that Bagent is better and they could have traded down and had multiple firsts to build with.