Being criticized has always come with the territory for Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
And through four NFL starts, so far, that criticism hasn’t stopped. In fact, there are some who are outing themselves as people who will simply and blindly hate regardless of what’s actually happening on the field.
Since fellow rookie Jayden Daniels has played so well, it is simpler for people to criticize Williams; yet, comparing is what many of us do best.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated fielded a query from a fan in one of his most recent columns, inquiring as to whether or not a “significant amount of people around the league” have expressed concern or a “sense of alarm” over Williams’s performance thus far.
Breer’s response was succinct and should allay any anxiety, mostly from supporters:
“No, sorry. He’s made steady improvement. He’s a three-year university student. As seen by their victories against the Tennessee Titans and Rams, the Chicago Bears are talented enough elsewhere to allow him the space to learn.”
It is easy to see that Caleb Williams has improved over the last four weeks.
Though it’s obvious that Williams has improved, we can go into more in-depth and complex numbers if we so choose. I’m not sure what to say to those who can’t see it.
Williams has looked far more comfortable the more this season goes on. Against the Rams, he played his best game of the year. To anyone shouting over his 157 passing yards compared to the previous week’s 363 against the Colts, you weren’t watching close enough.
It’s more than just his passing yardage. It’s about his comfort and command. A very simple explanation of his improvement could be evidenced by numbers, if we checked into his passer rating on a weekly basis, though.
Additionally, Williams’ completion percentage has increased every single week this year, starting at 48.3 in Week 1 and most recently 73.9 against the Rams.
Williams is doing what he should be doing — improving. Every week, there have been visible moments of improvement where fans have been able to see exactly why he was taken with that no. 1 overall pick this year.
For anyone panicking or continuing to criticize the rookie, there really aren’t any legitimate reasons to do so. He has done a lot of things very well, especially the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.
When he really starts to get it going, we’ll all forget about his rookie “struggles” which, by the way, are completely normal. It’s been tough sledding at times, between ineptitude in play calling and inconsistency on the offensive line. But, Williams is doing what he’s supposed to be right now.
No need to panic. And if you believe there is real panic out there, just know that the people around the NFL, with high-paying jobs in the sport, do not share the same sentiment.
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