There have been several moments over the last couple of years which some fans might call the lowest point for the Chicago Bears under head coach Matt Eberflus.
But, Week 10 of this season might just take the cake. This loss to the New England Patriots certainly looked and felt like an all-time low for the Eberflus era in Chicago.
After all, the Bears scored a measly three points against a team you could argue as the league's worst in New England. Chicago's offense amassed only 142 yards. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked a whopping nine times, which in and of itself was maybe the biggest embarrassment on the day.
New England's defense had totaled eight sacks over their last six games before taking Williams down nine in Sunday's matchup.
The offensive line wasn't good (no surprise) but offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was also not good (no surprise). Things haven't changed. Chicago may have had some fun winning a handful of games this year, and Waldron might have gotten away with his play-calling wearing a mask for those games.
But, in the end, Waldron is still holding this team back, as is Eberflus. Both of them have been bad enough to warrant firing. Now, after the game, Williams was asked some tough questions, including what his thoughts would be on the Bears potentially making a change with play-calling duties.
More Bears news:
His response? Well, let's just say he tried his best not to stir the pot.
Would Caleb Williams be able to adapt to a play caller change during the season?
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) November 10, 2024
"They wouldn't reinvent the wheel."
On one hand, fans might want to see a change. It would be justified if Chicago handed play-calling to someone other than Waldron. But, Williams is simply doing his best to stay positive and not allow the media to bait him into creating even more controversy than there already is.
Caleb Williams is playing the right cards in response to coaching questions
Here's the reality of it all... Williams has to know he's not going to be coached by Eberflus and/or Waldron for a whole lot longer. He isn't naive to the situation at hand. He's a whole lot smarter than that.
With that in mind, he's clearly responding in a way that will not only show his current coaching staff he respects them, but also letting future coaching candidates know that he will respect and support those individuals, as well.
What Williams has shown as a rookie, in the face of adversity, is there are a lot of positive aspects to his character. He's been mature enough to speak up when he needs to, but he's done so in a constructive way along with the veterans on this team. Williams wants to win, obviously. So, he is going to continue to be honest.
But, he's also not giving anyone reason to believe he's out on his current coaching staff. The fact that he's still supporting his coaching staff only means Williams is far ahead of where some players are, mentally. He has a maturity to him, in terms of his leadership, and any future coaching candidate is going to notice exactly that.