Caleb Williams’ rookie year with the Chicago Bears was filled with both anticipation and adversity. After the team moved on from Justin Fields and selected Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, the pressure to turn around a franchise with a rocky history at quarterback intensified. While there were flashes of brilliance on the field, behind the scenes, tensions were quietly brewing. And now, one former Bears coach has broken his silence.
In a recent interview on The Doomsday Podcast , former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus appeared to address criticism reportedly leveled at the Bears’ coaching staff in an upcoming biography titled American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham.
A clip shared by Bears on CHSN captured Eberflus responding to allegations that Williams was left on his own to study film.
'In the development of the quarterback position, and really all my positions at the Bears, we always had daily, coached film sessions. That was all throughout the entire year. So, that’s what I observed. That’s where it was.'
This directly contradicts a quote shared by Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report, who cited ESPN’s reporting from Wickersham’s upcoming biography. According to that excerpt:
'The quarterback [Caleb Williams] told his father that the coaching staff wouldn't instruct him on how to watch film or even join him for much of his study, which he ended up doing alone.' 'No one tells me what to watch,' he said. 'I just turn it on.'
Williams recently addressed the public criticism surrounding his film habits—criticism that intensified following the book excerpts—and clarified that his issue wasn't a lack of knowledge about watching film—it was about improving the way he watched it. In a clip shared by NFL on FOX, he stated:
'It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film. It was more or less the sense of … learning ways to watch film and be more efficient. Learning ways to pick up things better.'
The contrast suggests a clear disconnect between the young quarterback and the previous coaching regime. Whether it was a clash of philosophies, personalities, or just a system that didn’t quite fit, the underlying tension was hard to ignore.
Williams may not have publicly criticized the staff, but the implications from those close to him painted a picture of a rookie navigating things largely on his own.
Eberflus, now serving as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, isn’t backing down—his version of events is firm, and the tone he struck sounded unapologetic.
As the dust settles, the Bears have turned the page. With Ben Johnson calling the shots and a renewed emphasis on quarterback development, Williams has a chance to finally get the structure and consistency he once lacked. The past may be murky, but the road ahead offers something the Bears haven’t had in a long time—hope under center.
