Caleb Story...

[Mongo3451]

Make of it what you will...

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/caleb-williams-tried-to-avoid-being-drafted-by-bears-in-2024-hoped-to-play-for-this-team-instead-per-report/

[BearFan PHX]

I don't blame Caleb at all. He was right. Eberflus and Waldron was a nightmare scenario. I mean they actually didnt watch film with him! To the point where the guy is fired by week ten. What an absolute shit show!

And in the end, Caleb did it anyway. he was a man and took his situation, bad as it was.

I've got nothing but respect for Caleb in this. People will try to say he was being arrogant, and not a team player. But knowing what we know now, Caleb was just right about it.

 

[AZ54]

Oddly I was saying all along before the draft I don't think Caleb wants to be in Chicago.  Nothing I saw on video, from combine press conferences, interviews, to his pro day, showed body language that indicated he wanted to play here.  

[AZ54]

This is how you respond...

 

[ASHKUM BEAR]

1 hour ago, AZ54 said:

Oddly I was saying all along before the draft I don't think Caleb wants to be in Chicago.  Nothing I saw on video, from combine press conferences, interviews, to his pro day, showed body language that indicated he wanted to play here.  

I think after the Bears went to Hollywood and wined and dined him, his mind changed. They told him he will be a bear.  He chose to accept the challenge and rewrite the QB narrative.  

[BearFan PHX]

I have to give Poles points for being firm "We are going to draft you no matter what"

The narrative was out there before the draft that he and his dad didnt want him playing in Chicago, and the book just expands on that, but youve got to figure by now Caleb and his dad are ecstatic about how it all turned out.

 

57 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

This is how you respond...

Absolutely. Johnson sounds really good. Cant wait to see it on the field.
 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

I actually hate this and it makes me very worried about Caleb. Who is leaking this shit and what good does it do? Has to be coming from Caleb’s camp. How about instead of worrying about the narrative - just work right now on getting better…ripping Flus and spending time to leak this crap does nothing good. 

[BearFan PHX]

18 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

I actually hate this and it makes me very worried about Caleb. Who is leaking this shit and what good does it do? Has to be coming from Caleb’s camp. How about instead of worrying about the narrative - just work right now on getting better…ripping Flus and spending time to leak this crap does nothing good. 

it was from interviews with the author of the book, I think before the 2024 draft. It isnt a new statement from Caleb, just newly released to hype the book.

As far as I know, he made peace with all of it before we drafted him. that's also what the book says, according to other excerpts this week.

I agree if he said this now, that would be really dumb.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

12 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

it was from interviews with the author of the book, I think before the 2024 draft. It isnt a new statement from Caleb, just newly released to hype the book.

As far as I know, he made peace with all of it before we drafted him. that's also what the book says, according to other excerpts this week.

I agree if he said this now, that would be really dumb.

That is helpful and am fine if it was more his dad pre draft - but nothing good about going along with this post draft. I just hear about the film stuff etc - maybe it was other players who leaked it - kind of hard to imagine they really were that incompetent. Of course I never supported that final year of Flus. But if this was all part of the initial pain and now Ben Johnson and this offseason is what it takes to get everything over up I’ll forget about it…come on Bears!!! 🐻 

[Stinger226]

I get he liked O'Connell over Flus and Waldron. That just means he has a high football IQ. I heard interviews where he finally bought in when he came to Hallas Hall and seen the facuilities and spent time with Ian and Ryan. Then Poles when out and got him BJ and added to the offense. All Good

[Mongo3451]

GMFB had a timeline and it was all off-season until combine.  Caleb loved his talk with O'Connell and Josh McCown.  You hear a lot about O'Connell, but McCown is widely known to be a dude that players gravitate to, so I can see Caleb saying, I wanna play for that dude. 

I'm not worried one bit about this being a distraction.  One meeting with Ben Johnson changed everything.  I'll bet the house on that...

[Stinger226]

2 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

GMFB had a timeline and it was all off-season until combine.  Caleb loved his talk with O'Connell and Josh McCown.  You hear a lot about O'Connell, but McCown is widely known to be a dude that players gravitate to, so I can see Caleb saying, I wanna play for that dude. 

I'm not worried one bit about this being a distraction.  One meeting with Ben Johnson changed everything.  I'll bet the house on that...

Totally, he mainly had a problem with Waldron of which he knew before at some QB camp. He's gone, poblem solved.

[BearFan PHX]

3 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

GMFB had a timeline and it was all off-season until combine.  Caleb loved his talk with O'Connell and Josh McCown.  You hear a lot about O'Connell, but McCown is widely known to be a dude that players gravitate to, so I can see Caleb saying, I wanna play for that dude. 

I'm not worried one bit about this being a distraction.  One meeting with Ben Johnson changed everything.  I'll bet the house on that...

exactly. if this was still Eberflus, then I wouldnt be shocked if Williams was demanding a trade at this point. And that'd play poorly in the press, we'd all be mad,  but I think it'd be understandable. I mean they didnt even watch film with him! I am still flabbergasted at that. How do you learn how to run an offense if they wont watch film with you and talk about how your plays work against different defenses your opponent plays?! It's CRAZY how bad Eberflus and Waldron were.

But instead, it's Ben Johnson now, and I am pretty sure with the roster turnover, and the level of coaches that Caleb is VERY happy with the situation now.

And all of this switches now, from external concerns to Caleb himself. The table is set, and it all comes back to how he plays now. Assuming we get the LT spot locked down, there are no excuses. And I expect Caleb to rise to the challenge, and the window for the Bears is now opening.

And of course, we need to see it on the field! But the pieces should be in place.

[Stinger226]

49 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

exactly. if this was still Eberflus, then I wouldnt be shocked if Williams was demanding a trade at this point. And that'd play poorly in the press, we'd all be mad,  but I think it'd be understandable. I mean they didnt even watch film with him! I am still flabbergasted at that. How do you learn how to run an offense if they wont watch film with you and talk about how your plays work against different defenses your opponent plays?! It's CRAZY how bad Eberflus and Waldron were.

But instead, it's Ben Johnson now, and I am pretty sure with the roster turnover, and the level of coaches that Caleb is VERY happy with the situation now.

And all of this switches now, from external concerns to Caleb himself. The table is set, and it all comes back to how he plays now. Assuming we get the LT spot locked down, there are no excuses. And I expect Caleb to rise to the challenge, and the window for the Bears is now opening.

And of course, we need to see it on the field! But the pieces should be in place.

With everything we have done, now Caleb has to perform. The season will go on how well he moves forward in his second year.

[BearFan PHX]

2 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

With everything we have done, now Caleb has to perform.

100% and of course that goes for every player on the roster, but for a first overall pick QB? Absolutely.

[AZ54]

Counterpoint...lots of ex-NFL players saying to step up, be a professional, and stop blaming your coaches.  As James Jones said... there were many other players in the room with him and the coaches when they were watching film.   Or this is Caleb's dad trying to protect his son from accountability for all of his mistakes last year by making it appear everything was the coaches fault.  Practice hours are highly regulated and most players watch film on their own.  This story is going to follow Caleb all the way into training camp.  If his daddy issues don't go away quickly he's not going to have a lot of trust in the locker room.  

https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/former-players-discredit-notion-no-one-helped-caleb-williams-watch-film

 

Just one 

[Stinger226]

I think this all blows over if he is working hard and aligns with BJ. Last year was a train wreck for everyone on the team and a lot of players wont admit it but quit on the coach. Its a fresh start for everyone and I dont think any of the leaders on the team are going to question him.

He had things stacked against him and his performance has some accountablity. The remedy to everything last year is winning and I expect that to happen.People focus on what, in their opinion, we might be missing. This does not have to be a perfect team to be successful. At worst we will get average play from who ever plays LT. We will find enough of a pass rush with people on the team. I think the depth is better that most people assume it is. LB,S,OL,DL

[adam]

I would say it is not "nothing" but it is no more than other players calling the coaches out during the season in different ways.

So, how does Jayden's presence in the facility at 330 have anything to do with Caleb's not being told what to watch? It has already been stated that Caleb was in early, staying late, on off weekends, and literally doing things on his own to get better. Someone coming in to get extra work done and coaches not doing their part are totally unrelated.

Williams' statement was simply I was on my own with little to no guidance. 

10 hours ago, AZ54 said:

Counterpoint...lots of ex-NFL players saying to step up, be a professional, and stop blaming your coaches.  As James Jones said... there were many other players in the room with him and the coaches when they were watching film.   Or this is Caleb's dad trying to protect his son from accountability for all of his mistakes last year by making it appear everything was the coaches fault.  Practice hours are highly regulated and most players watch film on their own.  This story is going to follow Caleb all the way into training camp.  If his daddy issues don't go away quickly he's not going to have a lot of trust in the locker room.  

https://www.si.com/nfl/bears/former-players-discredit-notion-no-one-helped-caleb-williams-watch-film

 

Just one 

 

[adam]

On another note, it makes his performance last year look even better considering what he was up against.

[Connorbear]

On 5/15/2025 at 10:08 PM, AZ54 said:

This is how you respond...

 

Caleb was 100% right. Johnson's response was absolutely perfect. Nothing else needs to be said about this IMO. 

Peace

[AZ54]

3 hours ago, adam said:

I would say it is not "nothing" but it is no more than other players calling the coaches out during the season in different ways.

So, how does Jayden's presence in the facility at 330 have anything to do with Caleb's not being told what to watch? It has already been stated that Caleb was in early, staying late, on off weekends, and literally doing things on his own to get better. Someone coming in to get extra work done and coaches not doing their part are totally unrelated.

Williams' statement was simply I was on my own with little to no guidance. 

 

The quote from the story it said... "at times I came in and just watched film alone, nobody told me what to watch".     That does not mean at all times.  Nor does it mean he never had coaches showing him what to look for in film study.   

Why does it compare to Jayden Daniels?  Because he Daniels is alone with nobody telling him what to watch for when he views film in the early morning hours before practice.   The comparison is that Jayden to my knowledge has not publicly complained about doing the extra film study alone.  In this case, neither has Caleb complained.    It's just his father stepping into his son's business.  

Many Bears players over the years have talked about how they do their own film study either at home or in the facility.  

[Stinger226]

27 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

The quote from the story it said... "at times I came in and just watched film alone, nobody told me what to watch".     That does not mean at all times.  Nor does it mean he never had coaches showing him what to look for in film study.   

Why does it compare to Jayden Daniels?  Because he Daniels is alone with nobody telling him what to watch for when he views film in the early morning hours before practice.   The comparison is that Jayden to my knowledge has not publicly complained about doing the extra film study alone.  In this case, neither has Caleb complained.    It's just his father stepping into his son's business.  

Many Bears players over the years have talked about how they do their own film study either at home or in the facility.  

Every player spends time watching tape on their own. It is a statement that gives you a chance to think, coaching never worked with him which we know is not true. What is shows is the dysfunction that was noticable when the *hit storm hit after the Washington game. 

I watched a bunch of game highlights from last year and we were competitive in a lot of games , while in the middle of the storm. We are underestimating what this team is capable of. My expections are much higher now with what Caleb is capable of with good coaching and a much better OL. Add DA and a more aggresive D and Caleb will be closer to 5000 yards than 4000. 

THIS IS NOT THE SAME OLD BEARS, we're just gun shy becauses of such a gloomy past.

[adam]

50 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

The quote from the story it said... "at times I came in and just watched film alone, nobody told me what to watch".     That does not mean at all times.  Nor does it mean he never had coaches showing him what to look for in film study.   

Why does it compare to Jayden Daniels?  Because he Daniels is alone with nobody telling him what to watch for when he views film in the early morning hours before practice.   The comparison is that Jayden to my knowledge has not publicly complained about doing the extra film study alone.  In this case, neither has Caleb complained.    It's just his father stepping into his son's business.  

Many Bears players over the years have talked about how they do their own film study either at home or in the facility.  

Right, it doesn't say anything about Daniels not being told what to watch. Just because he watched tape alone doesn't mean he wasn't told by Kliff what to watch. Whether he did it at home, at the facility, at, during, or after practice is a moot point if he was instructed on what to watch. 

 

[BearFan PHX]

I am just floored that our coaches didnt watch film with Caleb. That's malpractice and it's stupid! I mean, it's your dream job in the NFL; head coach and Offensive Coordinator, and you have the first overall pick. How you do in that situation is gonna determine your NFL future. What in hell did you have to do that was so important that it didnt include hours of prep time for your QB? Explaining you offense vs. that weeks defense? It's INSANE.

It is also true that QBs should watch a LOT more film than coaches have time for too. The QB coach should be there for some of it for sure, and if your team has a vet QB, it's their job too to teach the rookie how to watch film, and working together to find trends and such in the week's opponent. Case keenum is gonna be very helpful for Caleb in that way.

And I think some people read all this to mean "oh you need help identifying cover 2?" and of course thats not it. It's about being clever and finding little tells and spacings in your opponent. You might think that in certain formations, the LB shades outside a bit more than average, and so you think "if I have Kmet on a slant on that play, like A, B, C & D in this weeks game plan, then I will be ready to expect that he will have superior body position inside"

That's not football 101, it's noticing little details that give you small advantages in that week. It's the kind of thing where if you have multiple people looking at it, then each person sees different things. And the Coordinator is supposedly doing that too, scouting the opponents tendencies and matchups. So the game plan is supposed to have plays that are meant to exploit these expectations.

So why in hell wouldnt you communicate that to your QB?? Show him the plays you have for the week along with some clips of WHY you chose them this week. What did the OC see? What will the QB look at?

Sounds like Johnson is already doing a lot of that on the field. We dont have a weekly opponent now, so we are putting in the generic plays. BJ is explaining what each route is doing - how it gets open vs different coverages, or how it help put a defender in conflict, and how to read that etc.

If you know WHY a play works, then it becomes a tool against defenses. If you just know the play and what to do, but not the reason behind it, then all you can do is read it in order, and not change your reads depending on what youre seeing, and how the play matches up to that.

So yeah, BJ, Doyle, the QB coach and Keenum should be helping all of that and the film study all go together into one cohesive plan.

Williams did pretty well last year without that, didnt he?

Not to mention that we are hearing reports that multiple opponents coaching staffs actually laughed at us when reviewing our offensive tape for their defenses. Lining up in formations where you cause a couple players to be completely ineffective, running routes that dont compliment eachother, and making atorcious reads by the Ol in the running game.

It should be really different this year. Is it possible we havent had a real football team here for decades? That we're gonna see something that looks tighter and more intentional than what we are used to? God dammit i am ready for it.

[Mongo3451]

2 hours ago, BearFan PHX said:

I am just floored that our coaches didnt watch film with Caleb.

I would never leave a franchise rookie QB watch ten seconds of film alone.  Every play is an opportunity to learn and form a bond between coach and player.  It actually pisses me off that they laid that burden on Caleb.  I've seen video of Brady and Belichick where Bill showed Tom the difference of six inches.  Football it's geometry.  Tom took those lessons to the likes of Julian Edelman and made him a star. Anyone hear the phrase "third and Edelman"?  The devil is in the details.  Evidently Caleb had some camp and Waldren was involved; the dysfunction began there.  I expect much more this year.  And it ain't even close.  We'll know everything by week four...