Dan Durkin dives into the film to see what the new O.C. can do to help the rookie QB.
A bit of breaking news to start this piece: coaching matters in the NFL. Yes, I know that is not the hard-hitting analysis you are seeking. Rather, it is a firm grasp of the obvious statement. But, in a season where nothing matters more than the development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears have mostly failed their prized rookie in this regard.
Last week’s soul-crushing 20-19 loss to the (overrated) Green Bay Packers was the first opportunity to analyze newly minted offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and contrast him against former offensive coordinator (trust me, it feels just as amazing to type that as it does for you to read it) Shane Waldron.
Schematically, the structure of the offense was the same. It was the nuanced choices of the schemes Brown called and the overall operation that stood out most to me.
- The play call selection was more balanced.
- There was an infusion of run-pass option calls to get Williams’ playmaking abilities as a runner into the game and take advantage of the gap-penetrating style of the Packers’ defense.
- The time to throw for Williams came down significantly, which simplified his decision making and didn’t allow pass rush pressure to affect him as much as it had over the past month.
- The choice to get the ball to players in space made an impact. Look no further than the reduced depth of target to DJ Moore as an example. Get the ball in the hands of your best playmakers as quickly as possible and let them do what they do best.
- The play calls came in faster, giving Williams time to process the defensive front and dictate to the defense.
Keep. It. Simple.
This approach kept the Chicago Bears in the game from wire-to-wire and Williams looked at ease and in command. There were still pre-snap and operational issues that have plagued the team all season and must be cleaned up. But the efficiency and effort were unquestionably better. This is progress.
Looking ahead to the Bears matchup against the Vikings, that last bullet above is crucial. Brown got the play calls into Williams early. It was intentional. It was another way to give the young quarterback answers before the play started, something any coach worth his salt would do to increase the chance of subsequent success.
Williams commented that Brown was getting the calls into his headset as soon as the communication channel opened, which is how the rule works. As soon as the previous play ends the play caller has communication to the quarterback, all the way until 15 seconds are left on the play clock. The next call was never in question and was immediately relayed to the rookie.
“Super-fast, as soon as a play happened,” Williams said. “Thomas was right on the headset giving me the play and then from there, he just strung plays together pretty well.”
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was dubbed “King of the cover-zero blitz” by Williams this week. Cover-zero blitz means there is no safety help over the top, which is a double edged-sword. It can defuse an offensive play before it starts. But it also leaves the defense vulnerable down the field.
Flores’ Vikings rank first in the league in blitz percentage (37.7), quarterback knockdowns (46), pressures (123) and pressure percentage (29.6).
Deploying this approach again this weekend will be crucial. It will allow Williams to get into their formation and see how the defense is responding. From there, Williams can utilize cadence, motion and shifts to get a better picture of what might be coming.
Last week’s game against the Packers, Williams utilized this to perfection on his last completion of the game to Keenan Allen to get the Bears into field-goal position. I have the full breakdown of that play here, on my YouTube channel.
The extra time at the line of scrimmage enabled Williams to diagnose the pressure from the Packers, check into a seven-man protection, adjust the route with his remaining three eligible receivers, cleanly get to the top of his drop, and find Allen on the quick out, complete the pass, and, yeah, that next part with the kick.
Last week hammered home how important the pairing of a coach and young quarterback is for development and success. It is a symbiotic relationship. The most important part of this season was, and now after this four-game slide, is the development of Williams.
Hearing suggestions of Williams being a “bust” or drafted somewhere else in the sequence if a re-draft were possible, is nonsense. If there are any busts in this scenario, they are his head coach and the organization. Who is Williams’ Sean Payton? Or Kliff Kingsbury? He didn’t have one.
The hope now is that Brown can correct the course for Williams and keep his trajectory pointed upwards.