The Chicago Bears locker room has expressed non-stop confidence in Caleb Williams since he arrived in April. They believe the young quarterback has every tool necessary to be something special. However, they also understood that he was a rookie. That would come with growing pains. Sure enough, the first three weeks were chalked full of learning moments. Against Tennessee, it was miscommunications with his receivers and an inability to sustain drives. Against Houston, it was not being able to counter the blitz. Then, against Indianapolis, it was turnovers. Cole Kmet and others needed to content themselves with staying patient.
Things shifted quickly after that. Williams played an efficient game against the Rams with 157 yards and a touchdown to preserve a 24-18 win. Finally, against Carolina, the #1 overall pick exploded for 300 yards and two touchdowns. No turnovers. No deluge of sacks. A truly upper-tier performance. Plenty of guys in the locker room were impressed. Perhaps more than they let one. Kmet revealed why to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
“Caleb was really effective in the pass game with the wind, and I don’t think that should be looked over. It was a really tough day in the wind and he was able to get the ball through the air effectively. And that’s not an easy task, especially here. Just overall a really good football game for us.”
Despite the appearance of sunny skies, it was an issue. Though only around 7-10 mph during the game, it kept swirling so that it was tough to get a feel for which direction it was going. Williams admitted it was “weird” the entire game. He resorted to using his water bottle to spray mist in the air before each drive, which gave him an idea of which direction the wind was going. That is how he made adjustments and connected on multiple long passes for the first time this season.
Soldier Field has always been a tough place to play for quarterbacks and kickers. The wind conditions change every week. They can be calm one moment and blustering the next. Quarterbacks often find it difficult to navigate the issues, which is why the belief has been the Bears need one with a strong arm to function. Jay Cutler was a prime example. The truth is, arm and length strength doesn’t matter. It is those who learn how to use the wind to their advantage that end up having success. Jim McMahon did. Robbie Gould did. From what Cole Kmet is seeing, Williams is doing so too.
