Caleb Williams
(AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

First & Long: One Career Start Does Not a Career Make, Bears’ Defense Playing Loud & Proud, Stevenson Awarded, Jordan Love Sitting Sunday

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 13, 2024

One career start does not a career make. If ever a team and a player needed such an obvious mantra after a milquetoast debut performance, it’s Caleb Williams and the Bears.

It’s too early to panic about Williams. Way too early. True, he didn’t go against a vaunted defense in his disappointing debut, and last year’s top pick – Bryce Young –  continues to struggle. Bears fans, and most NFL fans in general, will rightly or incorrectly gauge Williams’s progress in this week’s tilt against C.J. Stroud and the Texans, and Williams will face Anthony Richardson and the Colts in Week 3.

There’s no sugarcoating the fact that Williams struggled against the Titans. He rushed throws and he missed open receivers. The rookie also made bad decisions while trying to extend plays. The good news is that Williams can put that game behind him, and Chicago’s coaching staff expects him to do that. Stroud provides a great model for Williams but it is unfair to demand similar expectations.

Do yourself a favor and disregard the stats. Yes, Williams completed only 14 passes in 29 scattershot attempts for an unimposing 93 passing yards – an average of a paltry 3.2 yards per attempt – with no touchdown passes, but, he didn’t commit a turnover and he only took one bad sack. Call it first-game jitters and unfair presuppositions that come with being the next “franchise quarterback” on a team that’s never had one in the Super Bowl era.

The Bears chose to throw Williams immediately into the fire and the expectations of the front office and coaching staff is that the rookie will initially struggle. So, though that doesn’t portend a smooth start to the season, it allows Williams to learn on the job while taking his licks in less significant games until Chicago hits the second half of its schedule. The Bears play the Packers, Lions, and Vikings twice during this season’s final eight weeks. They also play the 2023 NFC Champion 49ers in that stretch. Those contests will determine if the Bears make the playoffs or once again enter the Draft Lottery. It’s better, therefore, for Williams to fail now than fail later.

Young didn’t show real improvement until the final 4-5 games of 2023. Funny enough, Williams also faces Young and the Panthers in Week 5.

Bears News & Notes

There’s a Flag…On the Play

Dear Tua Tagovailoa, please consider retiring. You should be set up financially. You can carve out a nice career as a broadcaster and advocate for CTE. Not all heroes wear capes, my brother.

Tagovailoa is in concussion protocol for the third time in his career.

Scout Team

  1. The Texans garnered more Super Bowl bets following Week 1 action than any other team. Houston beat the Colts 29-27 on Opening Sunday.
  2. On and off the field, Stroud has earned the right to take command of Houston’s offense.
  3. The Texans are hoping to neutralize Chicago’s defense with a strong running attack. Joe Mixon rushed for 159 yards on Sunday, and Houston won the time-of-possession battle against the Colts.
  4. Rookie tight end Cade Stover could get the start against the Bears if Dalton Schultz is unable to play. Schultz has been dealing with an ankle injury but he did practice on Friday.
  5. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans offered praise for Williams and Chicago’s stout defense during his mid-week presser.
  6. Ryans also offered kudos to Guard Kenyon Green and the rest of Houston’s offensive line for their efforts in the win against Indianapolis.

Film Room

Chicago’s defense is very good, but if DeMarcus Walker and Gervon Dexter control their opponents on the interior line, they’re elite.

Northern Exposure

Around the NFL

The Dolphins are getting crushed once again for the way they’ve handled Tagovailoa’s previous concussions.

Nick Saban, who coached Tagovailoa at Alabama, hopes the veteran quarterback will follow the advice of his own medical team.

Head coach Mike McDaneil said there is no timeline on Tagovailoa’s return.

Before signing with CBS, Tom Brady said he’d be open to returning to the NFL. Now, some analysts are trying to connect Brady to the Dolphins to replace Tagovailoa.

Brady acknowledged that he has some work to do as an NFL analyst.

A number of NFL fans are calling on Al Michaels to retire after Sunday night’s listless broadcast.

Running back Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers will not play against the Vikings this Sunday.

The Raiders intend to upend the Chiefs’ dynasty starting this year.

Two-Minute Drill

The Sunday night spotlight will be on Stroud and Williams, but the game is going to be won in the trenches. The Bears will need to rely more on D’Andre Swift and Khalil Herbert if Allen and Odunze can’t play. Houston will likewise attempt to establish a strong running game to open up its passing attack with Stroud and receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.

Chicago’s front seven continues to improve with each game. They’re getting to the quarterback quicker and creating turnovers, but they’re still susceptible to chunk yardage plays when opposing teams run the football. The matchups you’ll want to keep an eye on are on the interior lines.

The defense has the edge in both matchups, which should bode well for the edge rushers – Montez Sweat, Darrell Taylor, Will Anderson Jr., and Danielle Hunter – if the game becomes an aerial battle. Sunday’s game is likely to be won by whichever team wins the turnover and sacks battles.

Lovie Smith Bowl

The Texans won their final game of the 2022 season after scoring a last-minute touchdown and two-point conversion with less than a minute to play. The 32-31 win over the Colts cost Houston the top pick in the 2023 draft. That pick went to the Bears, who traded it to Carolina for a generational haul. The game mattered because the Colts and Titans tied in Week 1 that season.

The Panthers chose Young after a trade with the Bears for the No. 1 overall pick. The Texans chose Stroud and traded up to get Anderson. The Bears dropped down, and chose Darnell Wright. Carolina finished last in the NFL in 2022, and the Bears, who acquired that pick the previous year, chose Williams. The Texans made the playoffs in Stroud’s rookie season. Chicago is a team on the come. The Panthers, meanwhile, may need a decade to recover. Smith changed the paths of three franchises with two plays. That’s crazy.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

  1. The Bills now hold the NFL record for most consecutive games without losing by seven or more points. It’s been 42 straight games.
  2. When Jonathan Owens returned a blocked punt 21 yards for a touchdown in Sunday’s 24-17 win over the Titans, it marked the first time that the Bears scored their first TD of a season on special teams in 26 years.
  3. Bo Nix went 26 for 42 for 138 passing yards in his first NFL start. He broke the record for the fewest passing yards in a game with 25+ completions.

Rock the Vote, Not Your Teammates

I love to see Patrick Mahomes trying to bring common culture back to the NFL. Good for him for keeping the attention on the game. What’s sad, however, is the media trying to create a wedge between Mahomes and his wife, and Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift.

From The Podium

  • “Waking up, I believe it was Monday or Tuesday morning, you woke up and realized that you won your first game in the NFL regardless of how you felt about your performance. We won our first game and felt super excited. … It builds confidence when you can come out and do that.” – Williams
  • “[Williams] was really good with the players, owning up to everything and taking responsibility for the performance and accountability. That’s what you need from leaders on the football team, not just him. And moving forward, coming in [Wednesday] morning and figuring out what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and having conversations with him, I think he’s in a good spot.” – Eberflus
  • “[Williams] is definitely a playmaker, somebody who can expend plays and make all the cool throws, a tough player, takes hits. And really just really talented, so I definitely do think that he has great things coming in his career and I definitely do think he’ll get his rhythm going. It takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight. You can see in every quarterback this week, I think, except for probably Baker Mayfield who looked really good, everybody’s kind of rusty trying to just get those cleats out and get that rust away. And I think quarterback play will start picking up Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, just like every year. So, I definitely think he’ll get his rhythm.” – Stroud
Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterSeptember 13, 2024
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