Usually, when a player and coach arrive at an organization at the same time, the player is scrutinized more than the coach. That isn’t the case with the Chicago Bears. While Caleb Williams might be a rookie, most agree he has performed admirably in difficult conditions. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron hasn’t done a great job building the offense around his young quarterback. The offensive line looks disjointed. Running backs haven’t found enough lanes. Even the wide receivers struggle to get open.
Former defensive end Chris Long won two Super Bowls during his career. In that time, he played on teams that had some poorly constructed offenses and teams that had excellent offenses. He knows the difference. From what he sees in Chicago, he is unimpressed with Waldron and said as much on The Rich Eisen Show.
He doesn’t exactly know what he wants the Bears offense to be. That lack of identity leads to uncertainty and uncertainty leads to mistakes. Long pointed out that the Washington Commanders made sure to have a plan for Jayden Daniels when he arrived. They were going to run a quick-hitting offense to get the ball out of his hands, run the ball consistently, and let the rookie use his legs when necessary. It is simple, but the players embraced it from the start and now Washington is racking up points.
Last weekend against Los Angeles felt like the first time Shane Waldron actually knew what he wanted to do. The Bears committed to running the ball while having Williams focus on high-percentage passes meant to stay ahead of the chains. It didn’t yield big numbers, but it ensured a victory. If this is how Waldron keeps things moving forward, you can at least say he stuck with what works. Whether that yields bigger results down the line is another story.
