Bear Digest

How Lincoln Riley Conversation with Caleb Williams Impacted Bears

Caleb Williams spoke to his old coach recently and received some advice that could help him get through situations like Sunday's tough 20-19 loss to the Packers.

Gene Chamberlain

Eyes downfield as he rolls from the pocket, Caleb Williams had a strong day in a loss to Green Bay as a passer and runner.
Eyes downfield as he rolls from the pocket, Caleb Williams had a strong day in a loss to Green Bay as a passer and runner. / Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Caleb Williams spoke last week to his former USC coach Lincoln Riley.

For the conspiracy theorists in the group, he was not trying to recruit the USC coach to come to Chicago next year as head coach. There’s still seven games left before such things can be considered here, based on the past Bears practice of not firing coaches in season.

Rather, Williams received some advice from Riley on how to deal with a difficult season in his rookie year, one made all the more difficult by Sunday’s 20-19 loss to Green Bay.

“You keep going. That's my mindset for just about anything,” Williams said. “I called Lincoln. Lincoln Riley called me the other day, and just wanted to talk to me, check in, and things like that.

“It's something that he told me my freshman year when I wasn't in a position I wanted to be in, which was I wasn't starting at the time. He told me to keep going. At that time, I didn't necessarily know what those two words meant. I wanted to hear a little bit more than that, and that's what he told me. I use those words to this day. That's when I got the starting point, kept working, kept going. That's all I can do. That's all we can do is keep going, keep our head down and find ways to win. We're going to keep doing that.”

Williams responded well to adversity Sunday, at least better than the field goal blockers and Cairo Santos did.

A 70-yard rushing game to go with 23 of 31 for 231 yards and only three sacks instead of nine spoke to Williams’ ability to persevere.

His final drive was the masterpiece type the Bears have long sought from their own quarterbacks without ever getting.  At least it was this way with Justin Fields.

Williams took them 42 yards in seven plays, and might have gone a few more yards except Matt Eberflus pulled on the reins and opted for a second-down field goal try of 46 yards rather than trying to get closer.

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A close field goal, a bit higher arc, and who knows? That’s all speculation.

What Williams could say was he leaned on his targets to make plays even though he scrambled or ran from scrimmage so much on the day.

“You've got guys around you to make plays, get the ball in their hands and give them opportunities, and they'll go make them,” Williams said. “That's what I believe in. I believe in my guys, my wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, whoever it is, offensive line.  

What was cold, hard fact was the gritty way Williams hung tough under pressure. He didn’t even start the final drive the right way. The pass rush got him twice first and he faced third-and-19, then went to work with a 16-yarder to Rome Odunze and then the risky deeper fade route 21 yards downfield along the sideline to the edge of field goal range. He then put it there with a hard, low throw to Keenan Allen.

“When it comes to two-minute and things like that, it's find your one-on-ones and find your guys,” Williams said. “When it's time to make plays, make plays. Obviously still have the routine plays, but at that moment, it was time to make plays.

“We did a good job with finding Rome and Rome finding space and sitting right there making sure I saw him. Just let it rip and let him make plays.”

Maybe a week earlier they don’t get the ball into position try and win it with the 46-yard field goal that was blocked. Perhaps they don’t even score another touchdown. But Williams helped end the streak of drives without TDs at 25 and did it with the help of his new offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown.

There was a noticeable difference between play callers between Brown and fired coordinator Shane Waldron. Attitude was a key part of it.

“I think us being in control, Thomas being in control, just getting a few calls in super fast,” Williams said. “As soon as a play happened, Thomas was right on the headset giving me the play. From there, I think he just strung plays together pretty well and formations and motions and everything looking the same.

“I think the guys' mindset, and I think it started on earlier this week when Thomas got the job and he went in front of everybody and talked about how this was going to be. It was going to be a battle this week, but when we're out there, we're going to fight. We're going to execute. We're going to fight. We're going to have that mindset of ‘go out there and kick some tail.’ The guys did a good job this week throughout the week showing that. Then obviously you get into game day, and you do the same thing that you did in practice.”

Williams made it look like practice at the end. Now they need to practice field goals.

Was there anything Lincoln Riley said about that?

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.