Caleb Williams Took Ownership Of Bears' Protection Issues In Houston

Blame was thrown around in every direction after what happened Sunday night in Houston. Allowing seven sacks and 11 hits on the quarterback is unacceptable in any environment. The Chicago Bears can't let that happen if they want Caleb Williams to develop into who they hope he can be. Most of the blame was thrown at the feet of either the offensive line or offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The former was because they kept losing their one-on-one blocks or failing to pick up stunts and blitzes. The latter because he failed to find solutions to the team's dormant run game.

Fans weren't the only ones echoing this. Former players said much the same thing. The line can't make so many mental mistakes, especially along the interior. Waldron needs to do a better job keeping Williams out of straight drop-backs. However, the quarterback himself didn't allow those thoughts to fester. At his Wednesday press conference, he made it clear that the problems up front started with him. Part of the issue on Sunday was that communication was not clear enough.

That starts with the quarterback.

“I’m always involved in communication. It starts with me and the center first. And then, throughout the game a few times, the clock got kind of low and I was on a different cadence that I didn’t want or shouldn’t have used with the clock being that low...

...There needs to be better communication between the coaches, the offensive line, and myself, making sure that we’re on the same page and that we’re making adjustments when we need to in game. You obviously have adjustments that you work [on] in practice throughout the week, but the other team’s job is to try to confuse you and throw different things at you with looks. Being able to adjust quickly. That’s the most important thing. It starts with communication.”

Caleb Williams continues to have his teammates' backs.

It is becoming easy to see why guys in the locker room loved him at USC. Not only was he down to earth, but his selfless attitude as a leader made it easy to get behind. Moments like this are why Williams gained control of the Bears locker room so quickly. It would be so easy to throw the offensive line under the bus. Anybody with eyes would see he's justified in feeling that way. That isn't what good leaders do, though. When things go wrong, they take the blame. When things go right, everybody else gets the credit.

Many great quarterbacks learned this vital lesson over the years. It seems Caleb Williams already has it mastered. He also isn't wrong. Communication is likely the primary issue plaguing the Bears protection. This isn't about talent. It is more about mental errors and fundamentals. This is why people are so baffled. The ground wasn't pretty solid last year. To see them struggle so much is both upsetting and confusing. Thankfully, there is time to fix the issues.