LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The moment’s almost here. Caleb Williams will suit up for his first NFL season opener in just a few days, and after months of acclimating to life as a pro, learning a new playbook and going through the reps at practice, his pregame routine Sunday will include a moment of reflection to soak it all in.
“When feet touch the grass, it’s going to be business as usual,” said Williams at Halas Hall Wednesday. “I normally like to, when I run out the stadium, kind of do a little spin in the tunnel, when I’m coming out the tunnel, just to see the stadium, take it all in, and feel the energy, the vibe and get going from there.
“Once I do my spin, get down to the sideline, it’s go time.”
Once it’s go time, Williams will take the field with a ‘C’ on his chest as one of the Chicago Bears’ team captains, an honor that’s rare for a rookie in the NFL. Williams said he’s grateful to named one of the teams’ eight captains, and is working to find that balance between leading and learning.
“I’m going to do whatever I need to do for my team to win,” Williams said. “Whether that’s handing the ball off and leaning on my guys, if that’s dropping back, throwing the ball 30 times, it’s doing that. It’s leaning on my talent [and] not trying to do anything too special.”
It’s been a reoccurring talking point from head coach Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff leading up to the regular season — Emphasizing that they want their rookie quarterback to lean on the experience in place around him.
According to Eberflus, Williams has embraced the mentality, but that hasn’t stopped him from being curious, which is another trait that has given the Bears head coach another reason to smile.
“He’s got guys around him that have played a lot of years, and again, he’s a rookie,” Eberflus said. “I’m excited … So, he’s just been leaning on those guys and getting the ball to those guys and letting them do their work.”
Of course, no game or season is perfect, and there are bound to be some bumps in the road for the first year quarterback. But Williams said the preparation he’s done in anticipation of adversity gives him perspective.
“Constant communication is key,” Williams said. “A lot of times, when things goes wrong, there’s a slip of communication, there’s a slip of information that we have … Then I think for the adversity part of it, when it does happen, it goes back to again, communication, understanding the situation I’m in, bad things are going to happen every once in a while.
“You’re going to throw a pick, you’re gonna fumble, whether it’s me, whether we’re going to jump offsides. We’re going to do a bunch of things. So, when those moments of adversity strike, it’s more about encouraging, it’s more about understanding that we can get out of this situation and not bring more negativity to the situation that’s coming up.”
New year, new uniform for Keenan Allen
On top of the highly anticipated debut of the Bears’ rookie quarterback, NFL veteran and six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen will also play his first game in a new city for a new team, where his advice is to “keep the main thing, the main thing.”
“Football is still football. It’s still 11-on-11, still going to be tackling, still going to be running around having fun,” Allen said after practice Wednesday. “That’s the good thing about it. The [only] bad thing that can happen is if it really doesn’t go your way. [You] got to stay under control and trust the guys around you.”