It's fair to say the rookie seasons for Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze did not go anywhere near as hoped, as the Chicago Bears went through two head coaches and three offensive coordinators last year.
Williams' struggles of course directly correlated to Odunze's almost remarkable all-around inefficiency. But with a credible coaching staff in place, led by head coach Ben Johnson, things are on the upswing for the Bears' two top-10 picks in the 2024 draft.
Reports out of training camp consistently mentioned how the connection between Williams and Odunze has taken off. The Bears haven't had a promising young quarterback-wide receiver tandem like them in a long time, if ever.
When he spoke to reporters on Tuesday, Odunze was asked why Williams gets so much hate. It would have been easy to give a fairly canned non-answer, but Odunze did not.
Rome Odunze defends Caleb Williams against rampant criticism
"I don't know, man. Y'all are gonna have to tell me. Y'all write the stories on that boy", Odunze said. "Y'all put that stuff out there for everybody to read. I don't know, I mean it comes with (being) the No. 1 pick, you know, and he's himself, at the end of the day. When you're the No. 1 pick and you're yourself, you're gonna get a lotta hate...It's sad to say that, but that's just kinda the light we were put in."
Odunze went on to say how "we're in that light", and it's necessary to "take the good with the bad" when it comes to high expectations from Chicago sports fans, while noting Williams gets " a lotta hate for those reasons." Then he hit the bottom line to defend his quarterback.
"He comes in, he works hard every single day, and he's himself", Odunze said. "So I appreciate him for that, and I think we're gearing up for a good year."
The criticism of Williams, ranging from missing throws into a practice net without understanding the full purpose of the drill to how he wears his uniform socks during a preseason game as an apparent sign he's not a leader, is over-the-top ridiculous at times. But as Odunze said, being the No. 1 overall pick leads to easy scrutiny of everything you do. It seems Williams can handle it, though (no Ryan Leaf-style blowups at a reporter are coming).
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It's fair to say the ceiling for the Bears' offense, this year and for the foreseeable future, will coincide with the extent Williams and Odunze reach their individual ceilings. Odunze having his quarterback's back when it comes to criticism that comes from all corners is no surprise, and it will surely continue when opportunities arise going forward.