Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams fights through training camp’s early ups and downs

LAKE FOREST, Ailing. (AP) — Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has skilled some ups and downs throughout his first eight days of coaching camp.

Regardless of his occasional struggles, the primary choose of the 2024 draft from Southern California believes he’s making progress.

“I believe I’m on monitor to be prepared,” Williams stated. “I’m precisely the place I have to be and the place they need me to be. I’m excited.

“Each day I get up, I’m studying one thing new. Preparing for the season, preseason and these subsequent practices. Very excited, nonetheless progressing.”

The Bears haven’t determined whether or not or how a lot Williams will play in Thursday night time’s preseason opener, the Corridor of Fame Recreation in opposition to the Houston Texans at Canton, Ohio. Coach Matt Eberflus was anticipated to announce his plans for the sport on Tuesday, however Williams sees the upside in getting taking part in time in opposition to principally backups in an additional preseason recreation.

“The reps are at all times paramount for anyone like myself — a younger rookie, second-year man, third-year man — it’s paramount,” Williams stated. “It’s actually vital and we’ll see about these preseason video games arising, how they play out.”

Williams has struggled at occasions with easy issues just like the cadence or getting performs off earlier than the play clock expires. At different occasions, he flashes brilliance along with his throws.

At Monday’s observe, he made two passes into tight home windows for touchdowns at the back of the tip zone. Linebacker Jack Sanborn needed to marvel at one.

“I imply, he made a throw within the again that I even gave him slightly high-five for, trigger it’s spectacular,” Sanborn stated.

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has been inspired by Williams’ capacity to simply accept the place he wants to enhance and to work at it.

“I believe that every day enchancment and that constructive mindset that he exhibits up with each single day, each of these issues give him an opportunity to be nice as a result of he works laborious and he does all the fitting issues round and main as much as each single observe,” Waldron stated.

At Saturday’s observe, Williams was picked off by reserve gamers on successive performs and in addition had a soccer knocked out of his hand by edge rusher Montez Sweat, who isn’t supposed to the touch the quarterback in observe. It wasn’t Williams’ greatest day, however he bounced again on Monday after a time without work.

“I’m at all times robust in regards to the errors,” Williams stated. “That’s the half about me that drives every thing, being robust on myself, being robust on the errors that occur, whether or not it’s (missed assignments), a turnover or something like that, being robust on myself and understanding that there are going to be errors.”

Williams continues to look forward when he’s correcting errors.

“I do know it’s getting ready me for these video games late within the season, these preseason video games arising,” he stated. “Clearly, I’m going versus this protection on daily basis, in order that they make it robust on me.”

A side of Williams’ recreation most evident within the first week of observe was how he can prolong a play exterior the pocket and improvise for an enormous throw. He hit Tyler Scott on a deep ball final week off one such play.

That capacity was a difference-maker at USC for Williams throughout his 2022 Heisman Trophy-winning season and once more final yr.

“It’s a wholesome of steadiness of engaged on it and understanding, feeling the offensive line and the place they’re going, the line of defense and issues like that, the play, the scheme that you’ve got been working that play and getting after it and letting it rip,” Williams stated.

Maybe the hardest half for Williams is assembly his personal expectations.

“Clearly there’s going to be difficult occasions,” he stated. “It’s not that it’s not coming faster or slower than I anticipated.

“It’s kind of simply myself, after I exit on the sphere, I anticipate myself to not mess up. It’s simply how I’m.”

The 2 interceptions had been examples of it.

“And so after I do, it’s irritating, and I’d suppose for any quarterback within the league — there’s solely 32 of us which can be beginning — for any quarterback within the league, I’d anticipate them to be the identical of if you go on the market you anticipate to haven’t any (missed assignments), no interceptions, no turnovers and issues like that.

“And if you do, it’s irritating. Nevertheless it’s the way you reply and react to these irritating occasions is if you develop and get higher.”

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