Cubs News: Williams on his performance against the Colts, chemistry with Odunze |
INDIANAPOLIS, I.N. - Is rookie quarterback Caleb Williams truly the franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears? Can he put up over 300 passing yards without having costly turnovers?
Are the Bears going to throw the ball over 50 times frequently throughout this season because the run game cannot get going on the ground? These are just a few of the questions raised by Chicago’s most recent loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Williams did a lot of positive things, such as throwing for 363 yards, which is the eleventh-most of any Bears quarterback in franchise history. He had his first two touchdown passes—one to rookie Rome Odunze and the other to tight end Cole Kmet. However, he also threw two interceptions for the second week in a row and lost a fumble. Indianapolis capitalized on two of these turnovers and got 14 points off of his three turnovers. Perhaps the most costly sack was the strip sack in the fourth quarter. It gave the Colts the ball at the Chicago 16-yard line and allowed them to take a 21-6 lead with under seven minutes left. Williams broke down the play when speaking to the media after the game. “When I got to the top of the drop, I definitely felt, I think it was (rookie defensive end Laiatu) Latu, coming around the edge, so I tried to step up. Small movements, nothing huge (because) I also saw Rome about to pop behind the backer,” Williams said. “I think they either were (in) cover two on that right side or doubling DJ. So, I came off of that, backer started to move out with my eyes, about to throw it to Rome and then right there, strip sack.” There were many mistakes throughout this game. For example, in the fourth quarter, there was miscommunication on the two-point attempt following Chicago’s first touchdown of the game. Williams thought they would kick the extra point and started to come off the field. Then, the play did not come in fast enough, and the Bears were forced to take a timeout, which would have been incredibly useful in the final two minutes of the game. Occurrences like that highlight how small details add up to larger things, although the offense starting to be able to establish an identity is still something Williams wants to focus on going into next week. “Got our first two passing touchdowns of the year. Obviously, which feels good, exciting to get that going finally in the second half of this game. So, having the offense identity, I think it is brewing. I think it is a lot closer than it was the week before and I think us figuring that out is going to get this thing going,” Williams said. “I think we’re right there. On all the plays, we were just simply one small detail, and that’s myself included on some of these plays that happened today. But, we’re one small detail, a lot of these plays … These small details always add up to be something bigger.” Perhaps the best thing the offense can take away from this game is the chemistry between Williams and Odunze. After Odunze only had three receptions for 44 yards through the first two games, he erupted against Indianapolis with six receptions for 112 yards and his first touchdown. This included a 47-yard reception, the longest reception of the season thus far for any Bears receiver. Williams said that after the game, he made an intentional effort to get Odunze the ball more. While taking a deep shot to Odunze, which led to his second interception, he trusted his rookie receiver to make plays. “I think watching film, going through practices and things like that, I’ve told Rome that I’m going to give him the ball some more. The routes he (runs), the trust and belief that I have in him, that’s why I threw that ball to him, that ended up being a pick which I told him I’ll come back to him,” Williams said. “But, that pick, the defender’s back was turned and it’s always one of those rules that as a QB, offense, when a defender’s back is turned to one of your guys, you give him a chance because obviously he’s not looking at the ball. Corner made a good break on the ball. Once it was tipped, he had his eyes back.” Through his first two NFL games, Williams had 66 passing attempts, which is rather normal for an NFL quarterback. Against the Colts, he nearly doubled that with 52 pass attempts. That figure shocked even Williams, but he maintains that he is willing to do whatever the team needs him to do whether it’s 10 or 50 passing attempts. “I threw it 52 times? Geez … I do whatever the team needs and so, if it’s 50 times, it’s 50 times,” Williams said. “I can’t have the two turnovers with those 50 attempts and then if it ends up being 10 times and I complete nine of those 10 and we have 300 yards rushing and four touchdowns, I’m fully aware, fully ready to do whatever (the) team needs and so, if it comes down to it being 50 attempts and us slinging the ball around, if it comes down to being 10 attempts, it’s whatever the team needs (to) get the win.”
