Former Bears Coach Fires Back At Caleb Williams Over ESPN Hit Piece

Everybody remembers a couple of months ago. Seth Wickersham of ESPN reported that Caleb Williams had reservations about joining the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2024 draft. He knew their poor QB development history and misgivings about their current coaching staff. Then, as the season unfolded, he was dismayed that the team didn't help him watch film, something he wasn't used to. Unsurprisingly, Matt Eberflus, Shane Waldron, and other former coaches took a beating in the media for those revelations.

Given how the season played out, it makes sense that things got pretty bad behind the scenes. However, some of those coaches apparently didn't appreciate Williams sharing such details about what happened, especially when they were outright lies, at least according to one such coach. Tyler Dunne of Go Long spoke with multiple people about what happened last year in Chicago. One coach chose to fire back at the quarterback, stating that this entire hit piece from ESPN was nothing more than a cover for the truth.

Williams was always the problem.

In Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book, American Kings, Williams told his father that he wasn’t getting any help from the staff. “No one tells me what to watch,” the QB said. “I just turn it on.” When this quote went viral, I was actually on the phone with one former Bears offensive assistant.

He read it aloud, seethed and called it “evil” on Williams’ part to describe last season in such a manner.

“Do you think we’re not going to meet with this kid and teach him shit?” the coach said. “Who would do that? It’s fucking crazy. I don’t get it. You think we want to be bad? It makes me fucking sick.”

Another coach on offense calls Williams’ complaint “bullshit.”

“For him to say it?” the coach adds. “That guy knows what the hell happened.”

Another coach says this entire staff didn’t merely show up in Chicago and forget how to coach. All have prepared players their entire lives. All have been around top quarterbacks before, and this player’s work ethic was the worst most had ever seen.

Caleb Williams didn't come across looking great in the report.

Dunne mentioned how multiple people inside Halas Hall had serious reservations about the quarterback, even before the Bears drafted him. His preparation was poor, and his private workout unimpressive. The talent was obvious, but there were major red flags regarding his mastery of the game. Yet GM Ryan Poles seemed hell-bent on picking him anyway, leaving no room for discussion or debate. It smacks of the same unthorough process that led the Bears to Mitch Trubisky in 2017. We all know how that worked out.

In truth, it's difficult to know how accurate this is and how much it is a bunch of coaches feeling bitter about how things ended in Chicago. As things usually are, it's probably somewhere in between. The coaching staff didn't do nearly enough to prepare Caleb Williams or hold him accountable. On the other hand, the #1 overall pick didn't show any appreciation for the work it takes to succeed at this level. Hence was the season was a complete s**t show.