Why Caleb Williams can still succeed in Chicago: Silvy

As a Bears fan, maybe I don’t know what a great quarterback looks like, but I sure as heck can identify QBs who will not work out. Caleb Williams is not one of those guys.

I am shocked at some of the criticism for Williams, including body language, stat padding and the lack of wins. His rookie season has been mired by an all-time high of Bears dysfunction and ineptitude and he still has found a way to have a ton of success.

I’ll cutoff the critics at the pass, so let’s start with some of Williams’ struggles as this is not an excuse-making piece. Caleb 100% has to get into the offseason and work on his accuracy.

He just admitted that in his news conference last week and says he’s frustrated by that inconsistency in his game. Williams misses too many throws he has to complete, and I’m not just talking about the deep ball accuracy.

The first problem of correcting a problem is admitting the problem. Williams is as self-aware of an athlete as we’ve seen in this town in a long time. He’ll work his tail off this offseason and fix the issue. Williams has shown more accountability and humility than any coach or executive inside Halas Hall.

Then there is the sack stinkage. Williams has been sacked a whopping 60 times. Not many players who have played this position in the league have dropped that many times. The Bears offensive line was thoroughly botched by Ryan Poles, but Caleb also has to do a better job of getting the ball out sooner. Like Tom Thayer yelled with Justin Fields, “throw it.”

All that said, Williams still is putting up one of the best statistical years in Bears history with 3,271 yards, 19 touchdowns, only five interceptions and a QB rating of 89.3.

He hasn’t thrown an interception in more than 300 pass attempts – an NFL rookie record and a Bears overall record.

I remind you, this is the ground floor.

Poles once said, “we are going to take the north and never give it back.” It’s one of the most hollow statements a Chicago executive has ever uttered. The Vikings regime that was hired at the same time as the Bears has won 33 games in the past three years, Poles’ team has won 14 and only two division games. Williams has done everything to change that. In five NFC North games, Caleb has thrown for 1,352 yards, 8 TDs, and 0 INTs – that’s an average of 270 passing yards per game.

If you counter about him being the quarterback of the team who has lost nine straight games, lets look at some of the games.

• In Washington, Williams led the Bears to two would-be fourth quarter go-ahead touchdown drives. The first was thwarted by Shane Waldron calling a handoff to Doug Kramer. The second did give the Bears the lead but the defense lost it on the Hail Mary.

• In his first game against the Packers, who the Bears had lost 10 straight against, Williams was electric in a final possession drive to put the Bears in position for the game winning field goal only to watch Cairo Santos have it blocked.

• Against the Vikings, Williams brought the Bears back from 11 down with less than two minutes to play to send the game into overtime.

• And of course on Thanksgiving, Williams rallied the Bears from a 23-7 fourth quarter deficit only to have Matt Eberflus infamously mismanage the clock so badly.

Williams has done what he can to affect winning, but football still is a team game.

Yes, Jayden Daniels is ahead of Williams at this point. Tip your cap to him for a spectacular year. I also wonder how Daniels would’ve survived his first offensive coordinator getting fired after only nine games and his head coach fired after 12.

Don’t believe what I’m selling you about Williams? How about what Justin Jefferson told him a couple of weeks ago after Monday Night Football at midfield. “You a killa, boy. You do your thing. God blessed you”

How about Kyle Shannahan?

“Caleb is as talented as there is. The stuff you saw in college, you can see in the NFL. As good of a thrower as there is, born to play the position, got the athletic ability to do whatever, he’s got the speed to do whatever”.

One of the best players and coaches in the game don’t have to say those things, but they see the crazy talent that for some reason not everyone in Chicago is seeing.

As a quarterback starved Chicago fan, I’ve been guilty of hoping and wishing a player be good. I gave Mitch Trubisky the benefit of the doubt after a rookie season of 2,193 yards, 7 TDs, 7 INTs and a 77.5 rating. I gave Justin Fields the benefit of the doubt after a rookie season of 1,870 yards, 7 TDs, 10 INTs and a 73 rating. And while those two dealt with Bears dysfunction as well, nobody has been thrown more than Williams has this season.

I’m not asking anyone to build Williams up into something he’s not. He has shown the NFL world he can be great despite the Bears doing everything possible to try to ruin him. We used to ask for a QB with a 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio; Williams is nearly at 4-to-1.

Now it’s up to the franchise find someone to help develop him. He doesn’t need to be fixed. In the meantime, will the Bears fix what ails their organization? Will they be as self aware as Williams? That’s the bigger issue. I believe in Santa more than another Bears search. Prove me wrong. New year, same problems.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.