Bear Digest

Patience with Caleb Williams Easier at This Point for Coaches

Analysis: Bears more concerned at this point with offensive installation than with details of QB development that come naturally over time.

Gene Chamberlain

Getting Caleb Williams up to speed is important but at this time it's more important to get everyone functioning in an offense still being installed, says Matt Eberflus.
Getting Caleb Williams up to speed is important but at this time it's more important to get everyone functioning in an offense still being installed, says Matt Eberflus. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
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The rush to see Caleb Williams performing at a high level can lead to reckless impatience.

Bears fans who want to see Williams operating the offense with precision and putting his arm on display as fast as possible against the Bears defense at OTAs and minicamp are getting too far ahead.

Williams' development is not the only force at work here, says coach Matt Eberflus. Something else holds him back and it's for a reason.

Eberflus said the priority now in minicamp and offseason is not exactly fixing whatever Williams does wrong from one offseason practice to the next.

"I would say right now not very much because we're still installing," Eberflus said.

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While offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is still installing the offense there is little time to fix Williams' issues beyond working on passing fundamentals.

"I do think that's part of the process, though, once you get further along a little bit, but I don’t think we're at that point right now," Eberflus said. "I just think we’re installing concepts, understanding people, understanding skillsets and he's doing a great job with that."

Still, Williams had some problems on Tuesday, particularly with cadence and false starts.

"We saw guys jump off sides—I think there were half a dozen of the time—so that’s something that needs to be worked out," Eberflus said. "That is something that needs to be addressed and worked on and improved on here in the next couple of days. We'd like to get that cleaned up."

The cadence situation is a clean-up project but not really a part of their daily preparation.

The Bears have confidence Williams will get through all the issues that come up because of what Eberflus says he's finding to be his QB's greatest strength.

"I would say the learning," Eberflus said. "I would really just say that. Really absorbing and learning and having a beginner’s mindset to be able to learn, absorb, ask questions and just keep learning.

"That's what's been impressive to me. If he does that, he'll be just fine."

The problem is, Williams needs time for the learning. The impatience sill simply have to be the problem of those who can't wait for the process to play out.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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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.