Bear Digest

Caleb Williams reveals what really happened on viral passing video

The Bears quarterback was plastered all over social media missing the target repeatedly on a short passing drill before getting angry, and he addressed what really happened.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams' throws on a video have caught the attention of fans everywhere on social media.
Caleb Williams' throws on a video have caught the attention of fans everywhere on social media. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams provided context Thursday to the viral video of his errant 10-yard throws in a net drill and subsequent, apparent fit.

It was all done almost jokingly, or at least the way he reacted after missing the target on every throw was, he says.

The Bears quarterbacks have a competition with this and he didn’t like losing out the way he did.

“They (social media) blew it up,” Williams said of the video. “It is what it is.”

This still didn’t explain exactly what went down.

 “So it’s a quick-delivery drill,” Williams said. “You catch it, you’re not trying to get the laces or anything. It’s not like you’re going through reads. It’s catch, deliver, and try to deliver to the bottom left corner (of the target net). We’re trying to aim as if it’s a screen.

CALEB WILLIAMS GETS HUMILIATING MADDEN 26 RATING IN ONE KEY AREA

“It’s a competition between us and the guys, how fast you can get it out, how accurate you can get it out.”

Williams maintained he has plenty of the same drill when he actually hits the targets.

“They just so happened to blow that one (video) out and not the other ones,” he said. “It’s a fun drill to work on accuracy and not using the laces, and also just getting your feet up under you and working on throws.”

There have been plenty of social media and regular media comments made using that drill as evidence Williams is struggling in camp. And Williams’ reaction to those?

“I just laugh at it,” he said. “I look at it and I laugh at ‘em, as always. We’re out here working. We’re getting after it. We’re competing, and that’s one of the drills in which we were competing.

“We actually have a rule in own QB room, is, if you miss the board you have to do something funny or something like that. Or miss the net, you have to do something funny. We’ve had some competition in those areas also. It’s something fun, something competitive. I was competing and I missed it and it was fake anger that I had, that I showed. That’s what, you’re competing with your friends and something like that happens. You give maybe a little few words that you may say, choice words after losing to your buddies.”

The board has punishments for fouling things up in drills. 

 “What it’s called is a fine board in a way,” Williams said. “It’s just a fun thing we do. We have different things in there—blackout fines, if you forget something and it’s very obvious or something (with a play call) like that. Or if you miss a pass like that and it hits the net, you’ve gotta do some, whatever the case may be.

“It may be funny or anything like that at the end of the day, or whatever the case may be.””

Williams isn’t having a bad camp based on that one drill and his reaction. Still, his reaction seemed more real than the act he claimed to be putting on then.

Beyond all of that, none of this explains how he actually managed to miss with the throws from that range.

Nonetheless, of far more importance is whether Williams is improving getting the offense down and knowing how to attack defenses.

“I’ve been trying to grind at this playbook,” he said. “Consistently, as much as possible. Part of it is just being more comfortable with offense in general. I went through a full year being more comfortable with seeing a defense and things like that. I went through a full year of that.

“So, I think that’s part of it. The other part of it is the hard work I’ve put in and that we’ve been putting in and the belief and trust and understandment of the offense is something that we’re going to gain and I’m going to gain throughout the years. But as of right now, where we’re at, we’re growing and we’re still progressing. But I definitely feel good about where we’re at.”

It's not the end of the line, of course. They just put in the last offensive installment.

“It’s always a constant growth mindset,” he said. “But at this time … what practice is this? 12? 13? We’re in a good spot and we still have some time to go before we hit that 26.2 (miles), I think it is, at the end of the marathon where we have to … the hardest part is at the end. So we have to keep going, keep grinding, keep getting after it and keep chugging along in this marathon.”

The reward or penalty for the marathon is much different than it is for one drill with a net that winds up on social media.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.