Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams made a curious statement about his knowledge of Shane Waldron’s system coming out of college. On Monday, Waldron also made a comment to the media that undermined a narrative cropping up in reports last week about Williams turning the corner on a problem he had in the spring.
Williams had an up-and-down performance during practice last week. While Williams made promising throws, he also made plenty of poor decisions, not just against the first-team defense. Overall, the defense won during crucial 11-on-11 periods.
Williams had a much better practice on Monday, albeit with the Bears not practicing in pads. According to Brad Biggs with the Chicago Tribune, Williams hit Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze for touchdown completions during an 11-on-11 red zone drill.
It wasn’t all roses for the offense. Per Adam Jahns with The Athletic, the defense won the situational drill, with Montez Sweat getting a touchless sack of Williams.
Caleb Williams didn’t know Shane Waldron’s offense
Williams talked about his progress from the offseason through training camp during his presser following Monday’s practice. Per Courtney Cronin with ESPN, Williams said he’s on his way to being ready for the Bears Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. He made a curious admission about being unfamiliar with Waldon’s offense coming out of USC:
“I think I’m on track to be ready,” Williams said. “Exactly where I need to be and where they want me to be. I’m excited. Every day I wake up, I’m learning something new. Getting ready for the season, preseason and these next practices. Very excited, still progressing.
But we’re towards the end of install right now for this portion, which is very exciting. To think that not too long ago, I didn’t really know anything about this offense, and now I know a lot more than I did. So, progressing, excited and ready to go.”
Another Chicago Bears rookie QB in unfamiliar territory
Meaning, head coach Matt Eberflus put Williams in an offensive system that he was unfamiliar with. Essentially, Williams is trying to earn a bachelor’s degree in a foreign language in one semester.
Some people pointed out that Williams and Waldron had a history that went back to working together at the QB Collective. However, the system Williams was familiar with at USC is entirely different from the offense Waldron runs.
Williams had a lot of catching up to do after he was named the starter before the Bears’ first rookie minicamp practice. With a little over a month to go before the start of the regular season, he’s still far from mastering the system.
Waldron said the cadence is still a major issue
Last week, reporters and players said William’s command of the pre-snap offense was smooth. Williams had issues with the cadence during OTAs. Per Cronin, Waldron said the cadence is still an issue for Williams:
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said “the operation and the cadence” is the component of Williams’ game that is the furthest from where the coaching staff wants it to be for the season.
Williams isn’t worried. He knows he needs more reps, but those opportunities will dry up quickly as August progresses.
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