Cassie catches up with Caleb Williams on Bears training camp and more
As soon as Caleb Williams took to the podium, the Chicago Bears quarterback heard about "that" video.
The one video of him during a drill that went viral where he was tossing passes at a net, and looked visibly frustrated with his performance. The point is to get the ball out as if it were a screen play.
"It's a quick-deliver drill," Williams said Thursday. "You catch it, you're not trying to get the laces or anything. It's not like you're going through reads. It's just catch, deliver. You try and deliver to the bottom left corner."
The video was dissected in plenty of ways, most of them expecting Williams to be perfect in every aspect of the game. That's not attainable. Williams was still torn apart by social media for the drill.
The second-year quarterback doesn't let any unrealistic expectations or criticisms affect him.
What they're saying:
Williams missed the corner of the next in that drill, and was frustrated with what was going to come next.
Missing the net meant Williams was going to have to answer to the quarterback room.
"We have what is called is a fine board," Williams said. "It’s just a fun thing that we do. We have different things on there, blackout fine if you forget something and it's very obvious or something like that. Or if you miss a pass like that, hit the net you have to do something, whatever the case may be. It may be funny or anything like that at the end of the day."
Still, what wasn't shown was how Williams aced the same drill on the next rep he had.
Everything Williams does in the NFL seems to be under a microscope. Sometimes, that microscope is blatantly incorrect.
There were criticisms of his Family Fest performances on social media. Accounts say he threw three interceptions and struggled for the entire day, which was far from the truth. He wasn't perfect but threw multiple touchdown passes. He certainly didn't throw three interceptions.
Williams doesn't seek out the negative comments and criticisms, but it is hard to avoid.
He changes the narrative of the criticism in his head, though.
"It definitely motivates me," Williams told FOX 32's Cassie Carlson. "They may get a nice note card from me."
What's next:
This weekend will be a critical one for Williams. The coaching staff is going to see what parts of the offensive install have resonated with Williams and the rest of the offense.
They're also going to see which parts of the offense need more time. That's the biggest storyline of the weekend, but the focus seemingly remains on where Williams struggles in an individual drill.
What's going to be on display when Miami visits for a joint practice and for Sunday's preseason game is how far his connection with head coach Ben Johnson has grown.
"It's fun, it's challenging. We're gaining," Williams said. "I'm gaining more knowledge and coach is gaining more knowledge on me and how I play. Connecting those two things and then just the constant communication, open communication in those situations off the field, on the field, on the sideline in games where it's going to be at and where we're going to keep growing."
There will be some struggles this weekend. Williams won't let those struggles deter him, as it's part of the process in figuring out what works for him before Week 1.
Whatever criticism comes with it, Williams will just keep using that as motivation. He understands the criticism doesn't see the full picture.
"We’ve got to keep going," Williams said. "Keep grinding, keep getting after it, and keep chugging along in this marathon."
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