Well, you can't please everyone. After an offseason of smart roster moves and even smarter coaching hires, the hype around the Chicago Bears is picking up and for good reason. Quarterback Caleb Williams is expected to take a leap forward from a solid rookie showing, now that head coach Ben Johnson is calling the shots, and the defense is getting back two key starters who missed nearly the entire year with injuries.
Barring a slew of critical injuries, the Bears figure to be genuine playoff contenders in 2025 that will be led by an explosive offense like the one we've seen in Detroit for the last three years.
However, the folks over at CBS Sports are firmly in 'prove it' territory for the Bears. A panel of 10 analysts was asked to rank each NFL team's offensive trio of QB, RB, and WR/TE, and they ranked the Bears all the way down at No. 22. Additionally, there was almost no variance for Chicago's ranking, with not one vote lower than 23rd or higher than 21st.
Regarding Chicago's trio of Caleb Williams, D'Andre Swift, and D.J. Moore, the panel surprisingly laid most of the blame at the feet of Williams, with only a passing mention of the chaos that surrounded the rookie quarterback.
"It's notable that this represents a drop from where the Bears were a year ago, which is clearly due to the change in perception around Williams, who struggled pretty badly at times during his rookie season thanks in part due to the circumstances around him but also in part due to his own issues with holding onto the ball too long."
It's understandable to see the Bears ranked this low before the season starts. They were supposed to leap into playoff contention in each of the last two years, and most analysts seemed to buy into that hype only to see Chicago crash and burn each time. If CBS Sports won't believe it until they see it, that's certainly their prerogative.
What makes little sense is the inference that Williams is to blame. For one thing, he had a good rookie season. It wasn't the elite, world-shattering season that some expected, but he shouldn't be penalized for not reaching stratospheric heights right away. Second, to condense the complete incompetence of the previous coaching staff down to the single word 'circumstances' is a gross disservice.
Mind you, head coach Matt Eberflus essentially tossed Williams into the deep end and told him to figure it out. No one was watching film with him or even helping him understand how to watch film at the NFL level. The entire offensive scheme was so inept that the coordinator was fired after Week 9. Arguably the worst sin of all, however, was Eberflus seemingly coaching the aggression out of Williams and, in so doing, taking away the magic that made him a Heisman-winning quarterback.
Again, if CBS Sports needs to see the Bears actually follow through on their promises before believing them, that's understandable. But blaming the rookie quarterback who still played well in one of the most dysfunctional organizations in the NFL just doesn't add up.
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