Bear Digest

Caleb Williams' New Year's Resolution: Don't Take Sacks

Version 2.0 of Caleb Williams with a possible different coach would be getting rid of the football before the rush arrives, says the Bears QB.

Gene Chamberlain

Leonard Williams sacks Caleb Williams at Soldier Field in last week's 6-3 Bears loss to Seattle.
Leonard Williams sacks Caleb Williams at Soldier Field in last week's 6-3 Bears loss to Seattle. / Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
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When Caleb Williams version 2.0 steps on the field for the Bears, he would be someone who gets rid of the ball before the pass rush gets too heavy and could be working with a coach who working with a coach who is tougher on him.

Williams on Wednesday sought to clear his offensive line from some of the blame they've taken for his 67 sacks this season, while absorbing blame himself as he keeps in perspective the possibility of a coaching change likely to happen at the end of this season.

"I've taken a good amount of sacks that have been my fault, and a couple throughout that last game were mine," Williams said.

He cited one in particular against Seattle when he didn't pick up the blitz.

"Took a 14-yard sack on that one, I think it was, put us in a bad situation," Williams said. "There's been many times this season where, yes, people have given up sacks, sure. Myself is completely a part of that."

Technically, there are things he knows he can do better.

"It's a matter of getting better with a multitude of things," Williams said. "Getting better with throwing the ball out of bounds. There have been many times where my right arm is free and I can chuck it out instead of trying to make a play. There's been many times where a free guy comes, and that happens.

"Getting better at not trying to hold in there. I may see space and try to rip a pass instead of just finding the checkdown. Those are just two examples of reasons of why. But definitely something to go back on and reflect on and learn and come back whether it's this game or next year and be better at that."

There had been reports last year during the lead up to the draft about Williams being wary of the Bears due to the dysfunction with the coaching staff. There has been dysfunction but not quite the type he had heard about.

"It's not exactly what I was worried about, but there's been things where, like the dysfunction or coaches being fired, yes, it's been tough and challenging when you have to come in here and learn a whole new type of system and all these different things and then you have a multitude of different things that happen, whether it's coaches being fired or coaches being promoted, a bunch of different things," Williams said "So I think being able to go through this and being able to have this dysfunctional year in a sense of coaches and all of that, not winning as much as we wanted to, I think it's going to be better for myself and better for us.

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"But I wouldn’t say this is exactly what I was looking at or looking for or anything like that."

It's definitely not what he would be looking for from a new coaching staff.

Williams doesn't necessarily think they'll be valuing his input on the coaching hire but it could be sought.

"I know that I'm a rookie and a young guy, so if they make decisions without me, that’s their job to make decisions and make those types of decisions," Williams said. "If they make a decision like that, just hope and believe and have faith that those guys upstairs, they make the right decisions. And so that’s that. If I’m a part of it, then great."

One of the possible coaches who could help form Williams version 2.0 is Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who was an advisor at USC while he was a senior with the Trojans.

"I'd say I've been around Kliff, I know what type of guy he is," Williams said. "I know he loves football. I know he wants to win. He’s a competitor. And so in many different aspects that I was just speaking of, I’ve been around him.

"So I would say that being around him, knowing him, asking him questions and things like that, I think obviously if he was here I’d probably have more to say. But I think he fits a bunch of those qualities that I said."

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.