New Caleb Williams Clip Sends Clear Signal What Bears’ Plans Are
There isn’t much in the way of Chicago Bears news this time of year. That is the nature of the NFL. There is a two-month window where nothing happens. Players get a vacation. Coaches get time to formulate their plans for training camp and the season. By the end of July, everybody is fresh and ready to go. That said, smart players don’t spend all of that time goofing off. They make sure to put in extra work, going through drills, improving chemistry, and keeping their minds sharp. Quarterback Caleb Williams is no exception.
Another clip surfaced of him putting in time and preparation. It wasn’t anything complicated. They were your typical throwing drills. However, it did come with a notable wrinkle. The clip showed Williams going through a play action fake.
Some may think that isn’t anything noteworthy. That is, until you remember who the head coach of this team is. Ben Johnson ran the most play action attempts in the NFL by a wide margin last season (220). It is a core part of his system. Considering Williams is making the fake a regular part of his workout, that should tell you what’s coming this season.
Caleb Williams will be in unfamiliar territory.
He didn’t run much play action in college outside of your usual run-pass option fakes. Last season, the Bears were 28th in total play action plays with 90. He is still learning how to do it from under center, which is the more effective method. No doubt, he probably got encouragement from Johnson to practice his footwork and fakes during the break. This way, he would be up to speed and ready for the real work next month. It is nice to see Caleb Williams take that to heart. The better he gets at play action, the more deadly he becomes as a quarterback. It will be interesting to see how effective this approach is. Much of it hinges on the Bears being able to run the football better than they did last season.