LAKE FOREST, Illinois — Caleb Williams met every requirement in the first phase of the Bears’ thorough quarterback development plan.
Williams spent OTAs and mandatory minicamp learning the playbook, bonding with his teammates, and playing with his arm talent against a defense that the Bears want to be outstanding this season.
With the final round of OTAs wrapping up on Wednesday, Williams will now move on to Phase 2 of the plan, which will require him to focus on nailing down minutiae that must be mastered before camp begins.
“There is expectation there because that’s studying, that’s putting in the work even though it’s downtime on that relentless pursuit of getting the edge and finding the edge,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said of Williams’ summer strategy on Wednesday. “And for him finding that edge going into training camp being better than he was when he left here today without the benefit of practices will be so much focused on the studying, the watching tape, and then throwing and working on his fundamentals.”
Williams must continue to download the playbook so that he arrives at camp with a clear understanding of how to best run the offense on game day.
The Bears understand that a Week 1 matchup with the Tennessee Titans will arrive before they know it.
“I think for him it’s about continuing to own the system, the operation,” Waldron stated. “With so many different things, you’re unfamiliar with a system… There are many commonalities between different offensive systems, although they are not all identical. The idea is for Caleb to understand what every word means when we arrive to training camp and I speak a specific term that clicks in his head right now. We are on the same page.
“Because the ultimate goal is game day when everything happens, it might just be a simple reminder in the headset. It could be something at halftime, because those things happen so quickly, like that brevity code that we train ourselves with and getting on the same page of what certain terms are going to mean, that’s a really important part of the offseason, so now when he comes in to start training camp, he’s not thinking about any of those — those are second nature, and he’s reacting the right way when he hears a certain message.”
Williams stated that he intends to meet with players of the Bears’ offense and defense during the four-week break to work on their craft and continue to bond ahead of a season with high expectations.
The Bears’ rookie quarterback is intentional about connecting with his teammates. Williams stated that he recently witnessed a mic’d-up footage of the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl victory. He praised quarterback Matthew Stafford’s treatment of his teammates and the bond they shared, which undoubtedly contributed to the team’s championship success.
That connective tissue is something Williams is already putting a lot of time into forming.
“Everything’s about the bond and the trust that you build between each other because then you go out there and you play with a different level of … your mentality’s different,” Williams said Wednesday. “Everything’s different when you’re out there playing for each other and not out there playing for yourself. The connection to be able to build a bond between not just 11 on the field, but the next 11 that comes on the field, which is the defense, and then all the other guys, the 53, and everyone’s treated with respect and love and care, but also pushing each other to be at our best. That’s where the connection comes from because you can’t build something pretty special at the end of the year without that bond, love, and trust for your brothers.”
Williams already has a strategy and program in place for how he intends to approach the offseason break. That will begin with tidying up his notebook so that he can be more productive in his studies.
The No. 1 overall choice isn’t one to give up football. He sets goals for each day to keep himself on track. Getting behind is not an option.
“You made a plan. You establish a pattern ahead of time so that you are not caught off guard and wondering, “Oh, what’s going to happen?” Williams stated. “When am I going to return to work?” What day will I start working? What day do I plan to do this and that? You set everything in place and then stick to it. The most important thing I’ve learned from the older guys about the offseason is to make a plan, adhere to it, and then proceed from there.
“It’s about having a plan and adhering to it, as well as feeling confident and believing in your plan and the schedule you make for yourself. Because, oftentimes, the most important thing for quarterbacks is confidence and belief in the plan, whether it’s game day, the offseason, or anything.”
The Bears were impressed with Williams’ performance during OTAs and minicamp on the field, in the classroom, and outside Halas Hall.
For Williams, that work is critical in laying the groundwork for what he hopes will be a long and fruitful relationship with a franchise that has already demonstrated to him that they are an excellent fit for him.
Williams is systematic and meticulous in all he does. He keeps to the schedule. That has even carried over to the podium, where Williams concludes each media conference with a broad smile and a short vocal signature.
“Da Bears,” Williams replied.
With that, the Bears’ franchise quarterback grabbed his playbook and walked out the door to begin a key four-week period in his early growth.
There is no time to waste.
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