Right now, it seems that many fingers are being pointed at Matt Eberflus as the main reason why this team is underperforming. A few others are blaming Shane Waldron. Coaching has definitely been a problem but the Chicago Bears coaching staff has been telling us that it goes beyond coaching issues. Not many wanted to believe them, but Caleb Williams inadvertently confirmed it.
In his press conference today, Williams was asked how he combats all the hits he has been taking this season and keeps from breaking his confidence. Right now, Williams has been sacked 29 times. That is the fifth most in the NFL behind the Raiders, Patriots, Texans, and Browns. The Browns have had it the most by far with 43, while the rest of the listed teams have only given up 30 or 31. Not to mention, those other teams have all played nine games, while the Bears have only played 8. If we look at it from a per-game standpoint, the Bears are only behind the Browns with 3.5 compared to their 4.8.
Caleb Williams did not go out and blame others, but while talking about what he could do, you can tell coaching moments came from at least someone (Eberflus, Waldron, Kerry Joseph, etc.). Let's look at what was said before we dissect it more though.
"Breaking my confidence? I think one I understand that it is part of the game. That is the defenses job to get me down. I do understand also that I have to do better at certain times getting the ball out. Understanding the situation. It might be a third down and those are times you may hold the ball longer. But if there is something underneath that can get us a first down instead of maybe hitting one of the [names deeper routes]. You take the checkdown. You know, give it to one of your guys in space and let them go to work."
- Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears QB
It is the last part of this quote that tells me someone has been in his ear since the loss to Washington and again after the loss to the Cardinals. We saw a decent amount of it on film against the Cardinals. As much as I want to grab my pitchfork and run the coaching staff out of here, it appears that they are saying the right things. Unfortunately, players are not executing often enough. I think it is time for Williams to get back to hitting the easier throws and taking the small chunk plays instead of trying to hit the home run. We see it. The coaches see it. Heck, even Williams sees it. Now just do it.
Another thing that came up in this answer is Caleb Williams's acknowledgment that he needs to be better at identifying protections. He admits he has been better and credits Coleman Shelton for helping him with those skills. However, this once again tells you that it has not been going perfectly. It is highly possible that the players are not executing the protection schemes correctly.
That said, the coaching staff isn't exempt from blame. This team needs to play better and Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff have made some bonehead decisions during the last two games. The point is that when a team is mediocre or below average, it is never just one problem. It is usually many problems. That seems to be the case here with the Chicago Bears.
