Bears’ Bold Move: Offensive Overhaul Paves the Way for Caleb Williams’ Success

To try and predict how this will all work out for the Bears, you have to first comprehend the city. Although I was raised outside of Chicago, I did spend a few of my early years residing there. One must love Chicago to know it.

“Hollywood is hype. New York is talk. Chicago is work.”

Michael Douglas is known for his lyrical remarks about the city in that well-known quote.

The city with wide shoulders is this one. A metropolis that promises to outwork its rivals. a city that embraces its heritage as a blue-collar area. A metropolis so resilient that it might burn down and yet rise again. and carried out.

Chicago works. It’s all they want to do.

Its teams are the best example of this mindset, which permeates all of its various communities. The city’s very fabric is woven with sports. And they are inextricably linked to the metropolis.

This explains why the Chicago Bears, the NFL’s original franchise, have garnered so much support and optimism despite experiencing such little success. That explains why sold-out crowds at Soldier Field yell and why furious discussions occur on social media. The Chicago Bears are still referred to as the “Monsters of the Midway” because of this.

These monsters are currently facing a decision.

On a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” general manager Ryan Poles was questioned about remarks made by former quarterback and current analyst Robert Griffin III, who stated that Caleb Williams of USC should “pull an Eli Manning” and decline to go to Chicago at the top of the 2024 NFL Draft.

“It pisses me off a little bit, to be honest with you, because we were hired to break a cycle,” Poles said. “The same thing when I was in Kansas City […] and we did, and no one talks about those days anymore.”

With Poles’ arrival in 2022, the Bears began their dismantling and eventual rebuilding. Within a year, the roster was nearly entirely replaced. Head coach Matt Eberflus’ team improved in the second year, and by the end of 2023, the defense had shot up to a top-five ranking. With the hiring of Waldron and the decision to move quarterback Justin Fields following his third season in the league, the team underwent its most recent significant upheaval this summer.

The goal of the methodical yet gradual procedure was to lay the groundwork for long-term prosperity, which the city has been desperately awaiting for the better part of forty years. Building a team the hard way. However, Poles and Bears think it was the proper course of action.

“You just humble yourself coming into the building,” said cornerback Jaylon Johnson when asked about Caleb Williams on “Up & Adams.” “You can’t bring that Hollywood stuff into the building, especially not with guys who have played the game at a high level for consecutive years. … We going to see through that.”

Although the defense has accepted their role, the offense’s commitment is still in doubt.

So how is it going to work?

The offense

Waldron’s plan captures that body-oriented thinking. Waldron, dressed in orange and blue, will revive the division’s black-and-blue aesthetic. His offense emphasizes physicality in play, beginning at the line of scrimmage with the offensive line and mid-zone run scheme. Playing off the notion that it is difficult to stop a defense straight up, mid-zone tries to stretch the opponent by having running backs cut back inside to the space that is been freed up.

That is why Waldron’s scheme works well for the big men on the offensive line. It actively emphasizes staying on double teams and thrives on them, with two lineman frequently moving through several levels of the defense. The running backs, who should be able to see the field well and shift directions with ease, will have access to cutback channels thanks to these zone blocks.

Tight ends, the foundation of most notions, are also incorporated into this blocking technique. Waldron employs 12 or 13 people at a heavy rate. The Seahawks, led by Waldron, ran 12 (one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers) in 22.3% of possession last season, ranking 13th out of all teams. However, according to FOX Sports data, Seattle had the second-highest percentage of 13 personnel (9.4% of plays) with one running back, three tight ends, and one wideout.

Base personnel are removed from the defense by multiple tight-end sets. Few coordinators choose to use a lighter defense against multiple tight ends when they observe the mismatch issues that these players cause. As a result, Waldron’s offense can now take advantage of heavy boxes, which are typically eight or nine guys.

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Winnable matchups for the one or two receivers on the field or tight end leak plays are some examples of it.

The offense can be even more flexible by using tight ends instead of running backs, as Kyle Shanahan loves to do in San Francisco. If you have many “Y” tight ends who are capable of both blocking and catching, this is especially true. Not coincidentally, the Bears already had an established starter in Cole Kmet, but one of their first free-agency additions this year was veteran tight end Gerald Everett, who had played four seasons under Waldron. Chicago probably has more additions to make at this position as well.

Waldron frequently takes his tight ends off the ball, even in situations where there are not many of them on the field. If the defense is in man coverage, this opens up space between them and their designated defender; if the defense is in zone coverage, it expands the player’s potential zone. That tight end can potentially just block or serve as a ruse after all that.

Despite the potential for misunderstanding between opposing defenses, the concept is rather easy in the beginning. The entire concept is basically built around four plays: naked bootlegs to the left, naked bootlegs to the right, and mid-zone runs to the right. And that is it.

It is in Waldron’s deployment that his skill truly shines.

A coach who can call plays is not the same as one who can call games. The latter is Waldron, who has five years of experience as a coordinator and is coming to Chicago. As the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks from 2021 to 2023, after serving as the pass-game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams from 2018 to 2020. When anything is called a game, it implies that, although it begins simply, the plan changes with each game and, more broadly, with the entire season. If you pay close attention, you will even see more gap schemes used later in the season to keep rival teams on their toes.

“The best thing that they do is they match the play action game off the run game,” said an NFC defensive coach. “You see a lot of teams do play-action stuff where they obviously try to make it look like a run play, but the run play they’re selling, they don’t do in real life. So it’s obvious but those guys [Waldron and his players] have done well with what they do.

The same coach continued by telling me that during their final game against Seattle, Waldron repeatedly ran the ball on third and long as the shootout was coming to an end.

“The only other guy I’ve seen have the balls to do something like that is [Detroit OC] Ben Johnson.”

Waldron uses formations that appear practically identical, yet he will ultimately call twelve distinct plays using those formations. This method prevents tendencies from being shown on tape later and makes in-game prediction all but impossible.

This leads me to one of the offense’s more significant disadvantages. The offensive linemen essentially have to sell out and stick to their responsibilities in order to solidify double teams; otherwise, the entire protection is compromised. This implies that virtually little can be done post-snap to counter an offensive if defenders look into anything else or somehow do acquire a read on what an offense is likely to run.

The good news is that play-action, which may stall pressure, and quick game, when the offense is in an empty formation with no one in the backfield, account for a large portion of passes. In actuality, according to analysis from FOX Sports, 35.5% of Geno Smith’s 150 pass attempts during the previous season were short throws of 0 to 10 yards. Of course, out of his 300 pass attempts, 71% were for less than 20 yards. Fun fact: he still made 76 attempts at 30 yards or more. Waldron is a picker-upper.

It absorbs the entire transgression. Not all receivers are instructed to block, not tight ends. Wideouts must also perform this task.

Physical, you recall?

Bootleg plays often result in deep shots, therefore the quarterback must be somewhat athletic.

What does that mean for a young quarterback, then? Perhaps one from USC? selected with the first pick in the NFL Draft in 2024?

The quarterback

Caleb Williams, the Heisman-winning quarterback for USC, has already received a lot of attention in Chicago. With the first pick in the draft, the Bears are expected to select Williams because he is regarded as the best quarterback prospect in one of the strongest classes in recent memory.

There is no denying his brilliance, but because of all the commotion made off the field, it seems to be being lost. Some people think Williams is too showy, overly sentimental, and too “Hollywood.” He has turned to his mother for solace, paints his nails, and puts a pink case on his phone. Despite being so young and having millions of dollars at his disposal in the nation’s second-largest media market, he has managed to support and manage the buzz surrounding him.

“I’m having a hard time finding someone who doesn’t like him or even love him,” said Poles at the owners meetings in Orlando.

Indeed, Williams has an unconventional sense of style, a bit of a raucous attitude, and a business-oriented mindset. However, as one NFC associate general manager reminded me, this is the new normal in a NIL generation.

“Transactional approaches until trust is earned.”

The CEO continued by saying that when he assesses a player, a businesslike manner by prospects and even “snowplow parents” is irrelevant.

This actually aids in evaluating in some respects by offering a practical test that resembles a Wonderlic.

“For some, they blow through the money and struggle to manage it,” said one NFC college scouting director. “[NIL] actually helps NFL teams realize that about these kids before the teams are the ones paying them.”

“One of the ways that I try to evaluate guys is this, how do I see this person/player responding when adversity hits?” said one NFC player development executive. “Like when he’s 5-for-21 with two picks, how’s he going to respond? Reason being is that in the NFL, adversity is in the cards for everybody. It’s not ‘if’ he struggles but ‘when’ he struggles.”

Williams observed difficulties at USC. His stats declined the season after he won the Heisman Trophy and completed a pass game with 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. More often than he would have liked, Williams found himself playing hero ball as the Trojans finished with an 8-5 record, going 5-4 in the collapsing Pac-12.

“He did not have an ideal supporting cast, from wide receivers to offensive line,” explained the NFC assistant GM. “Or a complementary defense.”

A significant portion of Williams’ highlight reels include him creating something out of nothing, frequently leading to a huge throw that is off-platform and occurs long after the play originally broke down.

Indeed, those are enjoyable.

Williams has handled the football well during all of this backyard football he has had to play, despite his occasional fumbling problems. Usually, carelessness is the cause for concern when a player is accused of playing too loosely. With Williams, that does not take place. Another season, he only had five interceptions. And he completed 30 touchdown passes.

The main question that a lot of people have, though, is whether Williams can play in time and establish a rhythm. To see that, you have to look past those highlight reels.

Williams reportedly wanted to demonstrate to everyone in attendance—nearly all of the key Bears personnel—that he could, in fact, throw from the pocket when he took the field for his pro day toss.

There was no defensive back disputing Williams’ teammates who were catching his passes for him, no offensive line applying pressure, and no pocket now. However, Williams’ desire to allay those worries should be a positive sign in and of itself.

“I think he can learn, and if he’s coached to do it that way, I think he will be good,” said one NFC quarterbacks coach.

The fit

The good stuff is about to happen. In the event that Williams is selected by the Bears and travels to Chicago to lead Waldron’s offense, how would that go? Is this a compatible pair?

Let’s see.

Last year, USC’s offense made extensive use of heavy offensive players. There were plenty of setups with several running backs and some sets with numerous tight ends, who we all know Waldron adores. The fact that there were numerous off-ball tight ends even with the offense using just one running back and one tight end (11 personnel) may have been the most encouraging development. To enable play-action and the run-pass option, or RPOs, the heavier personnel was deployed. Everything about it is exactly like what Waldron will be operating in Chicago.

As with the Trojans, Williams saw that a lead blocker is utilized extensively in Waldron’s mid-zone scheme. The strong-side linebacker, or SAM, is a valuable asset in helping the quarterback locate objects. More tight ends are useful in this situation, especially in Waldron’s offense.

In addition, it appears that USC’s attack was built around a zone scheme and a few key plays. Take a look at these two consecutive plays from last season’s Stanford matchup.

Then there’s the deep ball. We know Williams can throw it; he did it at his pro day. But he’s done it in games, too.

And should all of that fail, if the defense decides to switch up their coverage or if a player fails to complete his assignment, you have a man under center who is capable of doing this, even in a close game against the nation’s fifth-ranked squad on a fourth-and-first.

With Waldron taking over as offensive coordinator, the Bears making significant investments in the offensive line, veteran pass catchers like DJ Moore and now Keenan Allen, and a pair of versatile tight ends in Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, Chicago appears to have a fairly well-rounded offense.

Although the offensive line has long been a source of contention for Bears supporters, Waldron’s strategy is quite big-man-friendly because to all the double teams. Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton, two seasoned inside offensive linemen, were added by Chicago. Last season, the latter started every one of the Rams’ 17 games. Poles had his eye on Bates during the general manager’s first summer with the organization, but Buffalo signed him after matching the Bears’ offer sheet. Poles now has his depth guy. Matt Pryor, an offensive tackle who can also play as a swing tackle, was also added by the team.

The addition of running back D’Andre Swift to the Bears’ roster, which also features Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert, was the biggest splash of the summer. Theoretically, each of these players have complimentary skill sets that they will require. In Waldron’s scheme, which frequently uses backs to aid in pass protection—though it is usually made simpler with multiple tight ends on the field—they will also need to step up their physicality.

At last, the Bears appear ready to pull it all together. Their perseverance and patience are about to pay off.

This could actually work, and that’s all Chicago has ever wanted.