Cubs News: Brown on Williams' accuracy issues, OL protection with Lions rematch |
CHICAGO—As the interim head coach for the remainder of the season, Thomas Brown will oversee the development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. When Brown took over as the offensive coordinator, Williams, and the offense seemed to be making strides in the right direction.
However, since Brown took over head coaching duties, the offense has not been performing anywhere near the level it was. Chicago has been blown out in its last two games and now has another difficult matchup as it faces the Detroit Lions this coming Sunday (Noon / FOX). Last time the Bears faced Detroit, former head coach Matt Eberflus's atrocious clock management was the final straw that led to this termination. When Williams faced the Detroit defense on Thanksgiving, his completion percentage of 51.3 percent was his third-lowest of the season. Accuracy has been an issue this season. In some games, Williams has been on point, while in other games, such as this past Monday against the Minnesota Vikings, he has missed plays he frequently made in college. “I would say (his accuracy has been) good overall, can still be better I think. A couple missed opportunities here and there,” Brown said. “I think sometimes when (he is) moving in the pocket, having subtle pocket movements, getting your feet set. But, I would say overall has been good.” Chicago’s lack of an offensive line forces Williams to move frequently to attempt to keep a play alive. Unfortunately for him and the Bears, he has not always been able to get away which is why he has been sacked a league-high 58 times. While he is still 18 sacks away from the all-time record for most times sacked in a season, Williams is only five sacks away from passing Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young as second in most times sacked as a rookie. Although he was only sacked twice last game, the protection was bad particularly on the left side with rookie Kiran Amegadjie making his first career start. Brown acknowledged the importance of pocket protection but also said that some plays result from Williams trying to do too much. “You got to do a really good job protecting a quarterback. But obviously, from the thought process of me being able to find more ways to get the ball out of his hands faster from a play call standpoint, I can help out with that. But, as far as not finding open guys, I don’t really find that as an issue,” Brown said. “I don’t think all the issues as far as his pocket movement is always correlated with protection issues. I think some of it comes with trying to do too much at times. I think from a standpoint of extending plays, there’s a time and place to be able to have some off-scheduled throws but also to be patient, go through progressions. So, I think it’s kind of a balance of both.” Brown has called plays against the Detroit defense once already this season. In the second half, he made some critical adjustments that helped the Bears get back into the game and give them a chance to win. Given how the Lions have been giving up more explosive plays in the past few weeks, the Bears may be able to take advantage and get some points on the board. “They’re (an) aggressive group. They do play a lot of man coverage. So, some of those plays (have) come off of guys getting beat one-on-one,” Brown said. “Also, some of those points have come off of certain individuals who have superhuman ability to create some off-schedule plays, break tackles, extend plays as well. So, I think it’s a mix of both.”
