Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron preaches 'manage expectations' for rookie QB Caleb Williams

Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has worked for some of the best coaches in the game over the last two decades and hasn't forgotten a sign Bill Belichick put up in the Patriots' facility that said, "Manage expectations."

That might as well have been the theme of Waldron's news conference Thursday ahead of the season opener against the Titans, and he applied it specifically to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the massive expectations on him as the No. 1 overall pick.

"It's an amazing word that shows up in so many questions: expectations," Waldron said. "There are external expectations that are totally separate from how we operate every day. The expectations for how we're operating are how hard we're working. ... If we work hard and prepare the right way, then you trust the process and the results will happen."

With Luke Getsy as the offensive coordinator and Justin Fields at quarterback last season, the Bears ranked 18th in the NFL at 21.2 points per game. The Bears fired Getsy, now the Raiders' offensive coordinator, and traded Fields to the Steelers.

Over Waldron's three seasons as Seahawks offensive coordinator, his team averaged 22.9 points per game, which was 15th in the league over that span.