Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears rookie quarterback, has had a rough learning curve since entering the NFL. From the second he walked through the doors of Halas Hall, he took control of the offense as QB1. His experience of the 2023 season was very much difficult. We only started four games and it’s tough to get in that groove of learning how to really study game film. With a lack of guidance from the coaching staff and the abrupt changes within the organization, Williams’s experience highlights a common struggle that many young quarterbacks encounter in the NFL.
Even with all of his innate talent and potential, Williams says he was feeling overwhelmed when it came time to break down tape. “I’d say there were more lessons this year than I’ve had,” he stated, underscoring the intensity of his learning experience this season. His initial challenges deepened as the coaching staff did not provide him adequate guidance on how to study film properly. As a result, he found himself feeling more and more lost and cut adrift.
In an industry where being prepared is key, Williams’s absence of a guiding hand in cinematic critique put him behind the curve. He knew how to digest the film. Unfortunately, he faced great difficulty in identifying exactly what change to press for. “It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film,” he explained. It was just kind of the feeling learning the short cuts… learning the ways to watch film and be more efficient. Learning ways to pick things up better.
Williams’s situation is not that different from the predicaments that other young quarterbacks have found themselves over the last few years. Alex Smith, now an analyst for ESPN, talked about his similar difficulties during his formative years in the league. “I spent years just wandering around in the film room having no idea what to look at,” Smith recalled. On teaching film, he reiterated that it took him decades to figure out a productive way to teach students to analyze film. “Sometimes as a young quarterback, you don’t know what to ask,” he reflected, pointing out a common barrier for inexperienced players.
Since this season leader quarterback Justin Fields and head coach Matt Eberflus has the organization in turmoil. Halfway through the season, the team fired head coach Matt Eberflus and OC Shane Waldron. Their replacements made it tougher on Williams’s growth as a quarterback. Thomas Brown, one of them, wasn’t retained after the season, further complicating things and making it more difficult for Williams to find stability and guidance.
Moving forward, Williams will learn under coach Thomas Johnson and seasoned QB Case Keenum. This support will be vital to him. Second, it will give him guidance in understanding the nuances in his film study as he gets ready for games down the road. As Matthew Stafford pointed out, “You got to lean on guys that are actually playing in those games and how they go about it and how they get ready.”
The Bears’ front office has shown a strong commitment to making sure Williams does not contend with these obstacles on his own. They’re dedicated to getting him a strong presence in the film room. One outlet focused on the Bears’ commitment to developing Caleb Williams. They added, “The Bears will make sure he doesn’t get to go solo in the film room ever again.”
Williams’s work ethic was so formidable that it made an impression on Declan Doyle, a TCU member of the coaching staff. “I think it’s really important to him that he gets it right,” he remarked. That drive will be key as Williams tries to sharpen his skills and gain a better feel for the game to make him a more productive quarterback.
Williams is on a great ride around the league. Hopefully he will learn important lessons from others who have walked a similar route. The NFL is not short on tales of young quarterbacks struggling with the ins and outs of film study and game preparation. Football coaches on all levels, like Sean McVay often, talk about grasping material. They are of the opinion that interactive engagement is the most important for players to fully understand concepts. “You can give all of this information; guys kind of nod, but [it might not sink in] unless you force them to give it back to you,” McVay explained.
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