The Chicago Bears have been a primary focus this off-season, thanks to their landing of quarterback Caleb Williams in the 2024 draft. It isn’t a secret that the former Heisman Trophy winner has been a lightning rod for media attention since he became a starter at Oklahoma in 2021. His eccentric personality, outspoken demeanor, and non-traditional way of playing the position have drawn plenty of criticism. Now, it appears even the way he interacts with his head coach isn’t immune to second-guessing.
In the latest episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, Williams was in a private meeting with head coach Matt Eberflus to discuss how the preseason game against Buffalo went and what he learned. Former quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan watched the exchange and couldn’t help raising a concern. While Eberflus was taking various notes during the conversation, Williams was not.
O’Sullivan stated that he’d always take notes whenever he met with the head coach during his career. It is weird to him that Williams did not. Well, here’s the thing. If O’Sullivan had been paying attention, he’d have noticed the Bears quarterback was taking constant notes when working with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and quarterbacks coach Kerby Joseph. Still, if that isn’t enough, just wait. Literally one week ago, on the previous episode of Hard Knocks, Eberflus and Williams were once again in a meeting together with Harrison Freid, the Bears’ Director of Research & Analysis. He was giving the quarterback a crash course on how to get friendly with various NFL referee crews who would be calling his games during the season.
Sure enough, there Williams is, taking notes right alongside his coach.
This is why making an assumption about a player based on a barely a minute-long video clip is never a good idea. It is a safe bet that the meeting between Eberflus and Caleb Williams was merely a checkup. It wasn’t a teaching session involving film review or other instructions. The quarterback didn’t have to take notes because the questions being asked didn’t require it. Since he arrived, every indication out of Halas Hall is that Williams is a tireless worker who is a stickler for details. Eberflus himself has said so. O’Sullivan is good at what he does: dissecting game tape on quarterbacks. Perhaps he should stay away from body language expertise.
