Caleb Williams ready to play, falter, learn — and win

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was answering a question about his ability to learn during his weekly press conference at Halas Hall on Wednesday — “I also think I have the ability to learn fast …” — when he was interrupted by a phone ringing in the distance.

And not just any phone, either.

“I think that’s my phone,” Williams said. “It is. It’s my alarm to eat.”

His alarm was turned off and Williams didn’t skip a beat or lose his train of thought. “The ability to learn fast, I think that has grown over time,” he continued. “Obviously being in a bunch of different games, seeing a bunch of different films, I think that has helped.

“Being in these different offenses that I’ve been in — in high school I was little bit more under center. I had a few more play-actions from under center and things like that. In college I was a little bit more spread and throwing the ball around a lot more and seeing a bunch of different concepts of space. So I’ve gotten a bunch of different types of playing throughout my years and I think that has helped me tremendously to be able to learn this offense.”

Williams will face far greater distractions than a phone ringing in mid-thought when he makes his NFL debut Sunday against the Titans at Soldier Field. But there are no insignificant events in the world of Caleb Williams. Everything he’s done since the Bears made him the No. 1 overall pick in the draft has indicated the same thing: he’s built for this.

Beyond his rare physical skills, Williams seems to have the mental acuity, the mental toughness, the ability to stay focused and not be overwhelmed by the responsibility or consumed by big moments — traits that make a quarterback the quarterback. It’s as big of a part of the excitement and anticipation for his debut as the uncanny throws and big plays he’s already made in the preseason.

“I wouldn’t rather be with another guy right now than Caleb,” said veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen. “He’s gotten better ever since we started. The confidence [in him] is through the roof.”

The Bears’ opener against the Titans will be the first test of just how prepared Williams is for the role of franchise quarterback. It’s a very playable lie against a rebuilding team with a rebuilt defense, especially in the secondary, under a first-time defensive coordinator in Dennard Wilson. But it’s still the NFL, where nothing goes as planned.

“Bad things are going to happen every once in a while,” Williams said. “You’re going to throw a pick. You’re going to fumble, whether it’s me [or] the team. We’re going to jump offsides. We’re going to do a bunch of things.

“When those moments of adversity strike, it’s more about encouraging — that we can get out of this situation and not bringing more negativity to the situation that comes up.”

Unlike Justin Fields, who never had a chance in his first NFL start — when he was sacked nine times and completed just six of 20 passes for 68 yards in a dreadful 26-6 loss to the Browns in 2021, Williams should not be overwhelmed against the Titans. He should have a chance to recover from any mishaps and show that he will not make the same mistake twice.

Ultimately, if Williams really wants to follow the path of Aaron Rodgers, his ability to learn, adjust, respond and ultimately win the chess match, will make the difference between being a talented, productive quarterback and a winning one. It’s never too early to start showing that trait.

And Williams feels pretty good about that. As he was saying when he was so rudely interrupted, he learns quickly.

“Both my freshman years, whether it’s high school or college,” Williams said. “I came into a situation where I wasn’t the starter immediately. I had to learn a whole offense to be able to put myself in a position to start. I think those times have helped me.”

Williams is going into Week 1 with supreme confidence, not expecting everything to go right but feeling well-prepared by everything he’s done since joining the Bears. And that includes going against the Bears’ defense throughout training camp. He had his share of tough days. Now we’ll see how well he learned from them.

“I don’t think there’s many teams that practice the way we do,” Williams said. “I think being able to go [against] the defense like this and how tough they are on QBs … Obviously there’s going to be times when I do struggle but you know how to get back on track, how to reach in those moments. Going against this defense every day has helped.”

Ultimately, it’s how Williams and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron manage each game that will make the difference. Will Williams be better at the end than he is at the beginning? Last year, Justin Fields had a 97.3 passer rating in the first three quarters of the game (ninth best in the NFL). But plummeted to a 53.4 rating in the fourth quarter (last in the NFL). That’s a problem — yet another one that Williams is expected to solve.

“It’s leaning on my talent,” Williams said. “I’m not trying to do anything special and then when those moments happen — third downs, end of games, things like that — they’re so routine plays. A lot of those moments are times where it’s time to be special.”