Why Caleb Williams can still succeed in Chicago: Silvy – Shaw Local

As a Bears fan, I may not know what a great quarterback looks like, but I sure can identify QBs who won’t work out. Caleb Williams is not one of those guys.

I am appalled by some of the criticism of Williams, including body language, statistical padding and the lack of wins. His rookie season has been marked by an all-time high of Bears dysfunction and ineptitude, and he’s still found a way to have a ton of success.

I’ll cut the critics off at the pass, so let’s start with some of Williams’ fights, as this is not an excuse. Caleb needs to be 100% going into the offseason and work on his accuracy.

He just admitted as much in his press conference last week and says he is frustrated by the inconsistency in his play. Williams misses too many throws he has to make, and I’m not just talking about the deep ball accuracy.

The first problem in fixing a problem is admitting the problem. Williams is as confident an athlete as we’ve seen in this city in a long time. He will take care this offseason and fix the problem. Williams has shown more accountability and humility than any coach or manager in Halas Hall.

Then there is the bag stink. Williams has been sacked a whopping 60 times. Not many players who have played this position in the league have dropped so many times. The Bears’ offensive line was thoroughly screwed by Ryan Poles, but Caleb also needs to do a better job of getting the ball out quicker. As Tom Thayer shouted with Justin Fields, “throw it away.”

All that said, Williams is still having one of the best statistical years in Bears history with 3,271 yards, 19 touchdowns, just five interceptions and an 89.3 QB rating.

He hasn’t thrown an interception in more than 300 pass attempts — an NFL rookie record and an overall Bears record.

I remind you, this is the ground floor.

Poles once said, “we will take the North and never give it back.” That is one of the most hollow statements a Chicago boss has ever uttered. The Vikings regime, hired at the same time as the Bears, has won 33 games in the past three years, the Poles’ team has won 14 and just two divisional games. Williams has done everything to change that. In five NFC North games, Caleb has thrown for 1,352 yards, 8 TDs and 0 INTs – that’s an average of 270 passing yards per game. match.

If you’re talking about him being the quarterback of the team that lost nine games in a row, let’s look at some of the games.

• At Washington, Williams led the Bears on two would-be 4th quarter go-ahead touchdown drives. The first was thwarted by Shane Waldron calling a handoff to Doug Kramer. The second gave the Bears the lead, but the defense lost it on the Hail Mary.

• In his first game against the Packers, against whom the Bears had lost 10 straight, Williams was electric on one final possession to put the Bears in position for the game-winning field goal, only to see Cairo Santos block it.

• Against the Vikings, Williams brought the Bears back from 11 down with less than two minutes to play to send the game into overtime.

• And of course on Thanksgiving, Williams rallied the Bears from a 23-7 deficit in the fourth quarter, only to have Matt Eberflus mismanage the clock so badly.

Williams has done what he can to influence the win, but football is still a team game.

Yes, Jayden Daniels is ahead of Williams at this point. Hats off to him for a spectacular year. I also wonder how Daniels would have survived his first offensive coordinator being fired after just nine games and his head coach fired after 12.

Don’t believe what I’m selling you about Williams? How about that Justin Jefferson told him a few weeks ago after Monday Night Football at midfield. “You’re a killa, boy. You do your thing. God bless you”

What about Kyle Shannahan?

“Caleb is as talented as there is. The things you saw in college, you see in the NFL. As good a thrower as there is, born to play the position, has the athletic ability to do anything, he has the speed to do anything”.

One of the best players and coaches in the game doesn’t have to say those things, but they see the crazy talent that for some reason not everyone in Chicago sees.

As a quarterback-starved Chicago fan, I have been guilty of hoping and wishing that a player was good. I gave Mitch Trubisky the benefit of the doubt after a rookie season of 2,193 yards, 7 TDs, 7 INTs and a 77.5 rating. I gave Justin Fields the benefit of the doubt after a rookie season of 1,870 yards, 7 TDs, 10 INTs and a 73 rating. And while those two also dealt with the Bears’ dysfunction, no one has been thrown more than Williams has this season.

I’m not asking anyone to build Williams up into something he’s not. He has shown the NFL world that he can be great despite the Bears doing everything to try to destroy him. We used to ask for a QB with a 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio; Williams is nearly 4-to-1.

Now it’s up to the franchise to find someone to help develop him. He doesn’t need to be fixed. In the meantime, will the Bears fix what’s wrong with their organization? Will they be as self-aware as Williams? That is the bigger problem. I believe in Santa Claus more than another bear hunt. Prove me wrong. New Year, same problems.

• Marc Silverman shares his thoughts on the weekly Bears for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.