The Bears keep winning, but Caleb Williams still raises questions: Telander

After the Whistle: Where did we gain confidence in the Bears on Sunday?

Ben Johnson found ways to get the run game going while also making the correct calls from the sidelines. Did he earn confidence from the fan base on Sunday?

CHICAGO - I wonder about Caleb Williams.

I know the Chicago Bears defense was great against the New Orleans Saints in their 26-14 win Sunday. And the running game was terrific with 222 total rushing yards (thank you, D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai!).

But what I watched mostly was Williams at the helm. That’s invariably what I watch—quarterbacks. And I’ll bet you do too.

There was a period years ago when deep NFL aficionados said the only way to thoroughly understand the pro game was to follow the offensive guards, the creatures who, with their blocking and pulling and double teams and drop backs, would hand one the key to the mystery of NFL success.

What a bunch of hooey. It was like watching hogs rooting for feed while the cowboy rides through the mess. The quarterback is all. He is the alpha dog, the bell cow, the big fish, the animal that rules supreme.

And Williams’ inconsistency and extended moments of inaccuracy are just worrisome. I watch it, and I see it, and I wonder if it will go away.
Against the now 1-6 Saints he completed just 15 of 26 passes for 172 yards and an interception. Coach Ben Johnson had hoped for a 70% completion rate from Williams this year. He was at 57.7% against the Saints.

Williams’ quarterback rating was a dismal 61.7, his worst this season. His completion percentage was his lowest of the year, too.

Yes, the Bears won, and that’s nice, the ultimate goal. And they now have won four straight, an excellent path. But the Saints are a lousy team, and their quarterback, Spencer Rattler, showed how a gifted but erratic quarterback without passing and recognition consistency can sink his ship. His three interceptions and four sacks for a loss of 24 yards were too much to overcome.

Rattler and Williams have some history together. Both were at the University of Oklahoma in 2021, with Rattler the quarterback starter until Williams took the job away from him in mid-season. It seemed obvious Williams was the superior quarterback.

Both players would soon transfer to other colleges—Southern Cal for Williams, South Carolina for Rattler—but only one, Williams, was drafted first in 2024 NFL draft.

Rattler has gone 1-12 as a starter in his two seasons with the Saints, but his 88.4 passer rating this year is not much below Williams’ 89.1 average for Williams’ first two seasons. And New Orleans doesn’t have the offensive arsenal Williams does, being a team far away from any championship threat.

So when I see Williams take the snap and look everywhere, then dance around, then, as the pocket collapses, spin away and run toward one sideline or the other and finally throw a pass that widely misses the receiver—well, I worry. Is he no better than Spencer Rattler, but with better skilled players and an ace defense?

On one of his scrambles I counted for over ten seconds before he flung away the ball. That’s enough time for Usain Bolt to cover an entire football field and maybe the end zone. It seemed that against the Saints Williams was afraid to take off on downfield runs, even when an opening was there. Maybe Johnson has told him not to risk running freely. It is dangerous, of course--but the quarterback slide rule helps a lot.

It all led to the feeling that Williams is still uncertain, not yet ready for the speed of the pro game, that maybe he doesn’t process the game in that genius/computer way that is needed to be stellar.

In the last three games Williams has thrown for only two touchdowns. In the first three games he threw for seven. Maybe this isn’t regression, but it has regression’s feel.

Williams has now started 23 games for the Bears, which is close to two seasons of starting in college. At what point do we know not his potential, but his cap? He must be a lot better than Rattler, right?

We have seen recently how old or recycled or slow-to-develop quarterbacks can rise to the top years after general managers have given up on them. Antique Joe Flacco was brilliant in the Bengals 33-31 win over the Steelers Thursday night. At age 40.

Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold are playing better than ever. Jared Goff, 31, is doing great after being traded from the Rams to the Lions. Giants’ cast-off Daniel Jones is kickin’ it with the 6-1 Colts.

You can’t give up on potentially great quarterbacks. But you can’t hang onto duds. Knowing the difference is the hard part.

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The Source: This article was written by Rick Telander, a contributing sports columnist for FOX 32 Chicago.

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