How Shane Waldron plans to help Caleb Williams thrive behind Bears’ shaky OL originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron described the Bears’ offense’s first two weeks as a learning period.
The run game has amassed just 155 yards in two games, with 59 of those coming from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who is the team’s leading rusher.
Without a working run game, defenses have been able to pin their ears back and pressure Williams behind a shaky offensive line.
In Sunday’s 19-13 loss to the Houston Texans, Williams was sacked seven times, hit 11, and pressured 36 times, according to Next Gen Stats. The Texans pressured Williams on 23 of his 48 dropbacks.
With a rookie quarterback still settling in and an offensive line working through communication issues, Waldron will need to find a way to make things easier for Williams on Sunday when the Bears visit the Colts in Indianapolis.
“Having good variety, having a good mix of what we’re asking him to do in different known passing situations right there,” Waldron said Thursday at Halas Hall. “Obviously, having the run game come to life in some of those scenarios as well and really being able to mix and match and play with some variety. I think all of that will (be) what are the breather plays throughout the plan, what are the chances for the ball-out plays, which I think he did a really good job this past week, you know, in all of the underneath completions, finding completions, playing clean and then when the big-play opportunities happen, like we talked about earlier, then they come naturally throughout the course of the game.”
Williams showed clear improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. He did a good job of playing in rhythm against the Texans, and his trademark accuracy returned after a rough NFL debut. But Williams still spent most of the night trying to evade pressure despite having the sixth-fastest time to throw among quarterbacks in Week 2. That suggests the Bears had too many slow-developing plays that contained route concepts that took between two and three seconds to flesh out.
Waldron needs to call more quick-hitting, easy throws to get Williams in rhythm and keep the Bears ahead of the sticks and out of third-and-long.
But Waldron can also mix up his personnel formations and bring in more tight ends to help the Bears’ underperforming O-line.
With wide receiver Keenan Allen still battling a heel issue, the Bears should look to use more 12 and 13 personnel on Sunday to give Williams time and keep him clean. That’s something that’s on the table as Waldron and the staff evaluate a mauling in Houston.
“The thing that’s gonna come back to the protection element is, it’s always going to take all 11,” Waldron said. “Looking back at the individual pressures, individual sacks and really trying to help our players, put them in the best position of the ‘why’ a breakdown may or may not have occurred. But it’s never going to come down to one thing during the entire course of the game. It could be, starting with the O-line, every time, were we ID’ed correctly? Were we playing inside-out in our protection mindset? Then, if the tight ends are involved in the protection or the backs, are they playing with clean eyes, clean feet to keep that pocket? Is the quarterback looking to get the ball out in rhythm? If he has to escape, is he doing it with his eyes downfield, ready to protect the ball? And then for the receivers, are they working in the timing and the rhythm of the pass downfield.
“Each play, each pressure that occurs, I think that we’re looking at that knowing that we have personnel that we can mix and match and utilize to go ahead and mix up some of the protection looks is something we’re always looking to do.”
As for Williams, Waldron and the Bears have put a lot on his plate early on. They didn’t hold back during training camp because they believe he has the talent and IQ to handle everything that comes with playing quarterback at the highest level. There’s no need for kid gloves.
While the production hasn’t arrived yet in the passing game, the Bears don’t believe they’ve overwhelmed Williams. On the contrary, what Williams’ command of the offense has shown them through two games is that big leaps forward are coming.
“I think Caleb has done a great job with what he’s been asked to do, don’t feel like it’s too much,” Waldron said. “And he’s continuing to grow. I can’t say enough about his attitude. Each day he comes into work ready to learn, ready to continue. You know, you’re going to see different blitz patterns, you’re going to see different front structures, you’re going to see game plan elements every single week, and I think for him, the more reps he gets, the more times he sees it in those game scenarios, the better he’s going to continue to get every single week.”
Williams took a small step in Houston. With Waldron’s help and improved protection, Williams can take another one Sunday in Indianapolis.
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