Notes from Monday’s camp via The Athletic:
“The
Chicago Bears offense had the ball on the 6-yard line inside the Walter Payton Center at Monday’s practice. Here was an opportunity to respond to a rough Saturday practice and struggles near the goal line.
Caleb Williams, flushed from the pocket to his right, found wide receiver
Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. We’ll let the rookie quarterback break it down.
“We had a quick game for blitz that I went to … where we’re starting right there in that progression,” he said. “Start there and then I got back to Keenan. I felt the pocket’s collapsing and I felt a big gap open up, and I know Keenan is coming on the back line and I felt the defense push over, the ’backer attach. The ’backer was too low and I threw it over his head.”
From our vantage point, we saw Allen running from left to right along the back line with a defender trailing, and the linebacker in front, but Williams got the ball to his receiver in stride for the score.
Williams specifically mentioned his ability to recognize blitzes and then get to where his answers are for them before and after the snap.
“(It’s) feeling that out to adjust protection, to adjust whether it’s a run, flip the run, flip the run in to it, flip the protection, get to a quick game, get to a Cover 0 check,” he said.
The Bears should love that Williams is embracing this challenging part of quarterback play early. It’s not easy. The best veterans still struggle with blitz pickups.
Waldron said they don’t want to “hold back on that ability he has” when Williams creates outside the pocket. We saw it on the touchdown to Allen. But Williams also has shown he can comfortably make plays from the pocket.
From the 6-yard line, Williams made an anticipatory throw to the back left corner of the end zone and dropped it right in the arms of Odunze for the score. Those are the plays you’d like to see more often, of course, but it’s all a process. Williams said they are finally nearing the end of installing the full playbook.
Rookie on the rise?
Defensive end
Austin Booker, the Bears’ fifth-round selection, has started to rotate more with the starters in camp, including during practice on Monday.
“It’s been great,” Booker said. “I’ve been able to see what the ones’ offensive line looks like and getting a better look than going against the twos. It’s been a great opportunity and just making the best of it.”
Playing opposite Montez Sweat has resulted in opportunities against left tackle
Braxton Jones.
“Braxton is probably the best tackle out there,” Booker said. “(He’s) probably top three tackles I’ve gone up against.”
Booker said that Jones’ “strong-ass hands” make him challenging.
“He knows when to throw them, too,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing — timing. Because if you just try to throw them right off the bat, I’m just going to get them off. But if you wait for me to make my move first and then you throw them, that’s when you get guys.”
The rest is at the link below.
Bears camp: Early impressions of Caleb Williams and how he views his progressBears camp: Early impressions of Caleb Williams and how he views his progress