Caleb Williams is having a good year. He's thrown 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions and is on track for over 3900 passing yards. By any metric, it is shaping up to be one of the past passing seasons in Chicago Bears history. However, some people aren't happy with it. Williams' completion percentage (59.7%) is even lower than his rookie season, underscoring the accuracy issues he still hasn't resolved. Fans are concerned about whether he can fix the issue. Still, nobody can deny that he has made progress. Do his teammates agree? Cole Kmet had some thoughts on that.
ESPN's Dan Graziano spoke to the tight end about his quarterback and if he sees any significant improvements. Kmet didn't need to think long for an answer.
I asked Bears tight end Cole Kmet what specific improvements he has seen in quarterback Caleb Williams in his second season and he told me, "His command of the huddle, just the way he's commanding it and getting the playcall out, has been night and day from last year. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you think about what these guys are asked to do in college, where they're looking over at the sideline and SpongeBob or whoever is on the posterboard, versus now when Ben Johnson is giving you two, three complicated playcalls at a time and you've got to spit all of that out to us with confidence in the huddle, it's just all a lot smoother and more confident from him this year."
This is often the hardest part for young quarterbacks to master.
College offenses these days put all of the power in the hands of the coaches. Rather than send out a play call to the quarterback and let him make the decisions, they have a set of cardboard images to reveal what call they want run. The QB then runs what is called. While that works in college, it does a poor job of preparing players for the NFL. Many quarterbacks are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of plays and the accompanying verbiage in the playbooks at this level.
That is why Williams looked uncertain so often last season. The big difference this year is that head coach Ben Johnson showed him no mercy. From the moment training camp began, he drilled the quarterback relentlessly, feeding him plays "with a fire hose" as it was put. The message was simple. He'd either learn it or die. Williams met the challenge.
Cole Kmet seems to have had doubts about Williams.
That is not to say the tight end dislikes his quarterback. Far from it. However, last year was a wake-up call for Williams on how long it might take to learn what the NFL is really like. The fact that he's starting to look like a true professional before his second season is even over is both a shock and a relief. Cole Kmet had already been through multiple quarterbacks in his career. The last thing he wanted was another flameout who just couldn't grasp what he was doing.
For the first time in over a decade, it looks like the Bears at least have stability at quarterback. That is a massive step in the right direction. We won't know if Williams is a true star or not until he's been in this offense for another year or two. That is the usual progression it takes. Still, the indications are good.
