Easily the most embarrassing aspect for the Bears of the entire Seth Wickersham book detailing how Caleb Williams' dad didn't want him coming to Chicago was what the Bears QB said about watching film.
He said he would watch film alone without direction from the staff.
If a quarterback isn't watching film or doesn't know what to watch, and isn't watching with some with coaches, what are they paying those coaches to do? It shows a level of total neglect no one could have suspected even from the clownish combo of former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus.
It's easy now to see how Eberflus could have failed to call timeout at the end of the Lions game or tell his defense to defend the sideline against the Commanders in the Hail Mary game. Not a lot of gray matter being used at the Hall last year.
While it is difficult to believe is Williams couldn't or didn't take it upon himself to ask someone if they could help him out, like maybe passing game coordinator Thomas Brown—because he didn't seem to have much to do until becoming offensive coordinator. It still comes down to complete incompetence on the part of coaches, though.
Former Bears quarterback Chase Daniel went on a bit of a tirade Thursday after seeing the story about how Williams went through the season and didn't know how to watch film. In a commentary he posted, he also made one keen observation about what GM Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson have done already that can help Williams.
"No one tells me what to watch," was Williams' comment about the film to his father in the story. "I just turn it on."
Daniel's post on X in disbelief detailed how the QB should have been watching film each week.
"That is insane," Daniels said. "And I had to learn from Drew Brees on what to watch, but what you watch is very simple."
Daniel gave the process of what the week is like:
Monday they watch Sunday's game film, Tuesday on the off day the QB comes in and watches four game films of the next opponent's defense.
"Every single time you're coming in on Tuesday you're spending 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and you're watching those games," Daniel said.
Wednesday is coming in and watching film of base downs and base pressures.
"You get a feel for that because install on Wednesday, is first and second downs," Daniel said. "After Wednesday it's practice. You're going to stay there. You're going to watch third downs because third downs is on Thursday, and then Thursday morning you're going to get in, you're going to watch third-down (defensive) pressures and you're going to watch third-down blitzes and you're going to watch what the team does on third downs. You're going to get those pressures right."
Thursday, Daniel says Williams should stay late after practice to get a head start on Friday's red zone work in practice. On Saturday they do an overture on the game plan.
"How in the world did no one else tell him, Caleb Williams, you always have to stay a day ahead (film to practice)?" Daniel said.
Then he went into the comment about the move they've made that can be a help this year.
"This is why I like Case Keenum signing with them," Daniel said.
The veteran backup should be able to assist with the film and other aspects, and help direct Williams at how a QB works. However, the Bears do have quarterback coach J.T. Barrett, passing game coordinator Press Taylor, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and Johnson himself who can help Williams if he isn't seeing what he needs to see.
"This story is crazy," Daniel said of the Wickersham revelation.
The stuff in the story about Williams' father wanting to subvert the draft process and keep his son away from Chicago is ancient history and largely irrelevant—simply just kicking more dirt on the Bears' past, much like a Mitchell Trubisky-Patrick Mahomes reference.
This point made by Daniel about the film situation in the story is entirely relevant and current.
There is another part of this not really explained within the ESPN story on the book and that is whether Williams simply wasn't using this type of routine Daniel suggested. Or was Williams actually saying no one told him what exactly to watch for in the film of opponents when he watched it while he followed the procedure Daniel described.
If they aren't telling him what he needs to look for in the film, then they aren't doing their job at all just like they aren't doing it properly if they did not follow this procedure Daniel laid down.
But Williams isn't doing his own job if he fails to ask for someone to help him with what he needs to look for on the game film.
It is the NFL. Maybe they're assuming he knows these things by now.
But as a famous baseball player who used to hit home runs in October liked to say, "when you assume, you make an 'a-s-s' out of 'u' and 'me.' "
