Remember Matt Eberflus’ Training Camp Strategy With Caleb? It’s Working
Matt Eberflus knew he had to put together a plan for Caleb Williams once the Chicago Bears drafted him. First, he had to determine if the #1 overall pick would start or if the team should seek out a veteran he could sit behind. They chose to make Williams the starter. From there, Eberflus faced the challenge of preparing the young quarterback for what he would see in the NFL. Defenses are faster, smarter, and more complex than anything he saw at USC. That led to a somewhat uncommon move.
The Bears head coach decided to have Williams practice almost exclusively against the starting defense. That group, led by Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson, Tremaine Edmunds, and Kevin Byard, would give the rookie all sorts of lessons that he could or couldn’t get away with. However, Eberflus decided to throw an extra wrinkle into the mix. Routinely, throughout every practice, he would throw all kinds of different blitzes at his quarterback. Williams even complained at one point that there is no way other teams blitz that much.
Still, there was a method to the madness. Eberflus wanted to make sure his quarterback was prepared, and recent stats indicate his thinking was more than justified.
Matt Eberflus deserves credit for such forward-thinking.
Many head coaches would’ve run a traditional training camp. They’d have had Williams practice against the #2 defense a lot, focused more on building confidence and rhythm. Sure, he would see occasional blitzes, but never anything over the top. Eberflus couldn’t afford to baby his QB. If the Bears were going to win some games this season, they needed Williams up to speed as quickly as possible. Things started rough. Tennessee and Houston both had success blitzing. The Bears offensive line often looked disjointed and overwhelmed.
However, by week three against Indianapolis, Williams was showing signs of mastering it. He started countering them with protection adjustments and throwing to his hot reads. By the time Los Angeles and Carolina tried it, the effect had worn off. Every time it happened, Williams was ready. That is what Matt Eberflus had aimed for. His willingness to push the quarterback in camp likely accelerated his education by several weeks. For all the criticism he gets, the head coach deserves credit where it’s due.