Bear Digest

How Troy Aikman was actually right about Bears and Caleb Williams

Fans howled and both Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams poked fun at TV announcer criticism but the Bears actually admit Troy Aikman was correct about one thing.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams setting up and throwing accurately from the pocket needs to be emphasized from the Bears because of his inability to produce yards after the catch with errant throws.
Caleb Williams setting up and throwing accurately from the pocket needs to be emphasized from the Bears because of his inability to produce yards after the catch with errant throws. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Now that the uproar has subsided over excessive Bears criticism by TV announcer and former NFL QB Troy Aikman, it's time to realize he was right in at least one way.

Calling the Bears lucky on the touchdown pass to D'Andre Swift wasn't it. No one criticized Jayden Daniels for beating them on a Hail Mary pass with 1% chance of completion the previous year. It took a nice catch by Swift, good reaction by Williams to get through his progression on a broken play to Swift on the sidelines and then a great move by Swift to make the play.

Are they lucky when Daniels fumbles the handoff attempt in the rain? To some extent but that's more on Daniels for not taking care of the football and Nahshon Wright deserved credit for being exactly where he needed to be to clean up.

All of the name calling and luck talk is basically unimportant.

Aikman was actually right to a large degree about Williams' inaccuracy on passes.

However, he was accurate enough, and that's where Aikman deserves criticism.

The Bears even admitted this week how inaccuracy is an issue. Even Williams himself said this.

The Bears rank only 19th in yards after the catch. It's not even as high as they finished last year, when they were 19th in the Shane Waldron/Thomas Brown offense, and Johnson's Lions offense was No. 1 last year at this. They were top six in all three of his seasons there, so 19th isn't what Johnson intended.

“Ball location is the number one thing," Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. "We talk about a runner's ball, but anytime we're throwing the ball within 15 yards of line of scrimmage, that that ball location is precise. It has to be for our player to be able to transition quickly into a runner. Then for our guys to be able to go block for that player."

Doyle said Williams realizes this.

"That's the No. 1 thing," Doyle said. "He would come up here and if I said ball location, he would laugh because he hears it all the time. That's the biggest thing.”

Williams addressed it this week.

"There were opportunities that we'll hit," he said. "It's still our fifth game that we just played. It's early and obviously (I'm) getting in rhythm with everybody. It's a long season and you want to catch fire a little bit later in the season.

"Obviously, you work and want to catch fire as soon as possible, but you want to make sure you're hitting strides at the right time in the right peak of the season to get rolling towards the end of the year."

Doyle and coaches keep working at this with him.

“That is the mechanics that he works with (QB coach) J.T. (Barrett) in individual," Doyle said. "Then also, comfort in the concepts that we're asking him to put his feet in line with where he needs to throw the ball, his eyes in line with where he needs to throw the ball and continue to accelerate that growth.”

Williams' 61.6% completions is not good regardless of yards after the catch. It's worse than he had at season's end in 2024.

Williams complained a bit about his inability to be as accurate this year throwing on the run, but Doyle isn't as worried about this.

“I think it's specific to the play," Doyle said. "He's got a much better feel for how his arm feels on the run. I'm talking about more like in the rhythm of the passing game.

"We're one, two and I'm finding that throw and leading that player into a catch-and-run opportunity.”

So Aikman, it seems, was right about the inaccuracy to a large extent.  

Everyone gets lucky once in a while.

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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.