LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Every week of this season will be a different lesson for Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Each Monday, he'll enter Halas Hall, turn on the film, digest what went right and what went wrong, catalog it, and execute a plan to improve as an NFL signal-caller.
Williams had a rocky NFL debut against the Tennessee Titans. He felt he got better in the Bears' Week 2 loss to the Houston Texans, but his two interceptions -- which were the product of him trying to create magic while under constant pressure -- were inexcusable.
"The pass game, rhythm and things like that, felt good," Williams said Wednesday at Halas Hall about where he got better in Week 2. "Obviously, I had the two stupid mistakes that won’t happen again. I think rhythm, pass game, getting the ball to receivers – I think I got better getting the ball out of my hands, it felt like, trying to stay in the right range of timing for the offensive lineman and myself and the routes."
Williams also noted that the communication improved between the Bears' first and second games. However, that can get better as the Bears prepare for opposing defenses to copy the Texans' blitz-heavy approach.
On Sunday, the Texans blitzed Williams on 41.7 percent of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. Williams went just 3-for-12 for 15 yards and an interception against the blitz. His Completion Percentage Over Expectation was minus 21 percent, and he was sacked five times when Houston brought an extra man.
On the night, the Texans sacked Williams seven times, hit him 11 times, and pressured him on 23 of his 48 dropbacks.
Williams knows the NFL is a copy-cat league, and the onslaught from Houston taught him two important things as he prepares to face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.
"One: Communication," Williams said. "Two, is making adjustments faster throughout the game. There needs to be better between the coaches, the offensive line and myself, making sure that we’re on the same page and that we’re making adjustments when we need to in game. You obviously have adjustments that you work on practice throughout the week, but the other team’s job is to try to confuse you and throw different things at you with looks. Being able to adjust quickly. That’s the most important thing. It starts with communication."
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Both of Williams' interceptions came on plays where he escaped a muddy pocket and tried to make an off-schedule throw downfield for a big play. This type of play became Williams' calling card while in college at USC.
It's also the type of play with a much finer margin for error in the NFL.
The Bears are working on balancing not taking Williams' superpower away while making sure the quarterback understands what goes into using that ability successfully in the NFL.
"It’s about knowing when and knowing how, and again he’s got that special talent to be able to throw on the move," head coach Matt Eberflus said of Williams on Wednesday. "So we don’t want to take that away from him. But it’s got to be where it’s in conjunction with the receiver, meaning that the one to [tight end Cole Kmet], he’s got to put it where he can get it and nobody else can get it. And [with wide receiver DJ Moore], when you throw those 50/50 balls, to me those should be 100 percent ball, so meaning that we’re catching it or nobody’s catching it. And we have to have trust in the receiver and trust in the quarterback to be able to get that done.”
Williams understands that.
But while he's still adapting to the speed of the NFL game, he doesn't believe there's anything he did in college that he can't do in the NFL. It's just about making sure those attempted special plays don't end up being a game-changing moment for the other team.
"Just play your game and play the way we need to play within the offense and be efficient," Williams said. "Make less mistakes and don’t make the same ones over and over."
Williams and the Bears need the Week 2 lessons to stick as they prepare to face a desperate Colts team in Indianapolis.
