How ‘baller’ Caleb Williams made strong opening statement to Bears during preseason, camp

How ‘baller’ Caleb Williams made strong opening statement to Bears during preseason, camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams arrived at Halas Hall a different breed of quarterback than the Bears’ franchise has seen before.

Combine the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner’s elite arm talent, pocket instincts, and playmaking ability with unique wiring, and you get a rare prospect.

On paper, Williams checked all the Bears’ boxes during the pre-draft process and did so quickly.

But proof of concept rules the day in the NFL. College highlights and pre-draft board sessions mean little when the lights come on during fall Sundays.

When Williams arrived, the Bears’ ascending defense made it their mission to push Williams. To poke, prod, frustrate, and sharpen the young signal-caller whose progress will determine their fate this fall.

That mission reached a new level in training camp as the Bears’ defense forced Williams into what can fairly be described as an uneven performance.

But Williams never flinched during the dog days. The multi-interception sessions and dreadful low completion days only hardened Williams. No blinking. No doubts.

It just made him put the gas pedal through the floor.

“This league is going to have good moments. You’re going to have moments that you want back,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said Monday at Halas Hall when asked about Williams’ mental fortitude. “Everything is a learning experience. I think great decision-making comes with having made mistakes before. Whatever the mistake may be, whether you messed a call up, whether you threw an interception, or whatever it may be, that’s an experience to get better.

“I think the thing that I’ve learned: He’s a competitor. Ain’t nothing going to slow him down. You know what I mean? Something maybe didn’t go his way, but at the end of the day, he’s going to come out that next play still talking, still being himself, confidence level still high, and he’s ready to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/baller-caleb-williams-made-strong-225024291.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-08-19 22:50:24

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