It's hard to see everything in the moment during the game, which is why many coaches and players will watch the game tape afterwards to see the whole story. This one might have worked in Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams' favor.
After the crushing 30-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was quick to criticize the team's leaders and Williams for his fourth-quarter interception. With a day to review the tape, Johnson appeared on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, where he said he was actually more encouraged by Williams' performance.
“He played better this game than I think he had the previous two. When you look at it, all 60 minutes, and I’m not saying it’s perfect. I actually came away, from watching the tape this morning, encouraged that we took a step in the right direction here this week. I know for some people it’s hard maybe rationalize because the result wasn’t there. But yeah, I saw tangible growth from him. He’s working his tail off.”
Bears fans should feel a little better about that, right?
Some might take this as Johnson maybe coming back with a softer tough after being tough on the team after the game. The hope is that he is actually right about what he is saying.
Williams finished the day completing 25 of 38 passes for 285 yards and one interception. That pick came back up in their own territory in the fourth quarter, down by only three points, which put them further back and made it too tough to come from behind. Williams also had two intentional grounding penalties that set the team back.
A lot of the concern surrounding Williams right now is that he is having way too many off-target throws during games. His completion percentage during the season doesn't seem to be getting better at all. He's sitting at 61.9% on the year.
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Williams appears to be regressing toward the average fan, but Johnson says he is making progress. Is Johnson trying to protect his quarterback publicly, or is there some truth to the idea that Williams is actually getting better?