After a Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Chicago Bears face a multitude of questions in regards to their struggling offense. And, while some finger-pointing can be done in the direction of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, he's far from having to shoulder the bulk of the blame.
We could talk all day about just how bad the Bears offensive line has been, but after the Colts game, most were referencing a few key play calls by offensive coordinator Shane Waldron including what might have been the worst play call in franchise history.
On a 4th-and-1 from the Colts' 1-yard line, an easy call would have been to hand it off to a player like the big, bruising Roschon Johnson.
But instead, Waldron went with the NCAA Football 2005 special, screamed "YOLO" and proceeded to call a ... wait for it ... quarterback option.
Never mind the fact that four out of the five Bears offensive linemen ended up on flat on their backs just moments after that ball was snapped. The play call will go down not just as one of the worst in Bears history, but up there with some of the worst this league has ever seen.
Thursday, when speaking with the media, Waldron was asked about that play:
“For us, just being able to communicate, get to the line of scrimmage a little bit faster there so we can get what we want out of the play, all those things start with me. I got to be better in that situation, and I will be moving forward.
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"Just knowing the bottom line there, I got to put us in a better position.”
If there wasn't at least one media member whispering the words, "no sh*t" under their breath in that room, I'd be absolutely shocked. A half-second after Williams took that snap, every Bears fan in the world was wondering what on earth Waldron was going there.
This is not the Chicago Bears offense fans were hoping for with Caleb Williams
So far, here is where the Bears rank in key offensive metrics through three weeks:
EPA/Play: 28th
EPA/Pass: 31st
EPA/Rush: 30th
Success Percentage/Play: 29th
Sack Percentage: 26th
Rush Yards: 31st
Pass Yards: 25th
Yards/Game: 30th
Points/Game: 22nd
That's not great, Bob.
There are so many things wrong with this offense, but most of them can be fixed if Waldron starts using his head. It's that simple. Watch the film and make the necessary changes, just as it appears this offense is already doing as we speak.
Waldron not only needs to start figuring out how to tailor the offense better to Williams' strengths and make smarter adjustments, but he has to start getting the play calls in faster. Williams noted after the game that he was unable to audible at times due to the fact that the play call wasn't getting to him in a timely fashion.
With a rookie quarterback, you typically want to get them into a rhythm. Waldron has yet to do this with Williams. Allowing him to get to the line, assess the defense and adjust if need be, and then being able to get the ball out on some easy throws ... that has to be the game plan going into Week 4.
If Waldron continues down the same, old road, then it's not only his job on the line. That entire staff will be feeling the heat in no time.