Bears Patriots Reaction: Caleb Williams Was The Right Choice
The final whistle has blown at Soldier Field in Chicago, and the Bears have lost to the New England Patriots 19-3. The masses are calling for the head of coach Matt Eberflus, as they should. The thing they shouldn't be doing,, is questioning whether or not the team made the right decision, when they took Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Social media is buzzing with the suggestion that the Bears should have drafted Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jayden Daniels, or even more laughable, Patriots rookie Drake Maye, who went third overall. The reality is, that no matter who they drafted, this team was not set up for a rookie quarterback to have success. It has never really been set up for a quarterback of any experience level to have success.
Wins and losses are not a good gauge of how well a quarterback is playing. The Pittsburgh Steelers went 10-7 last season, and Kenny Pickett was their quarterback. He didn't contribute much to those 10 wins, but the team was built to be successful. Even a quarterback's stats aren't a great indicator of how good they are, or will be.
Patrick Mahomes, without debate (at least without intelligent debate), is the best quarterback in the league. He currently is throwing 3 interceptions for every 4 touchdown passes he throws. Caleb Williams has roughly a 2:1 ratio (in favor of touchdowns). Mahomes is a better quarterback, regardless of the stats, just like Williams is better than Daniels or Maye.
In terms of a rookie year indicating future success, nobody who watches and understands football believes that for a second. Through their first nine starts, both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson completed less than 60% of their passes. Allen, one of the leagues best passers, had more interceptions than touchdowns, and Jackson, soon to be a three-time MVP, had half as many touchdown passes as Caleb Williams does now.
The team doesn't have a quarterback problem, they have a coaching problem. Eberflus should have been fired before he got back to his office, after the last game of 2023. He has a rookie quarterback, and one of the worst offensive lines in football. Common sense would be, to run the ball more than you throw it, to avoid killing your quarterback. The Commanders do this for Daniels. They run the ball 54% of the time, and pass 46% of the time. Those numbers are flipped for the Bears.
The result is a quarterback who has been sacked 38 times through nine games, including 9 times today. This sort of reckless and irresponsible play calling could lead to a destroyed knee, like Joe Burrow suffered his rookie season, or worse, permanent PTSD versus the pass rush, like David Carr suffered from his time with the Houston Texans.
Caleb Williams was the best quarterback in the 2024 Draft, and he still is. He has elite arm strength, and can throw from multiple angles. He is more accurate on the run, and his creativity is on par with Mahomes. He can throw receivers open, and he's the only QB in his draft class with that ability.
Ryan Fitzgibbons, co-host of the Combs and Fitz Windy City Sports Talk podcast, railed about the offensive line during hi show today. When reached for comment tonight, he echoed what he said earlier.
"The issue with having a lame duck coach, and a bad offensive line in Caleb's first season, is it delays an accurate evaluation....where does he need improvement, and what can he get away with at this level?"
Fitzgibbons also mentioned that the Williams would freeze up in the pocket, when he wasn't being sacked, and Fitz wonders if the Chicago Bears are ruining another quarterback prospect.
Williams needs better coaching and better blocking. He's far more talented than guys like Brock Purdy in San Francisco or Jared Goff in Detroit, but they look like studs, because their offensive lines give them 4-6 seconds to throw the ball. If Caleb Williams is given the time in the pocket, and the patience of the fans and the organization, he will reward everyone by achieving his Hall of Fame potential.
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