When the Chicago Bears travel for road games, there are certain times when the Bears’ staff are in the same press box as the media.
That allows for anyone in the area to see reactions to whatever happens during games. When I covered a game at Lambeau Field for the Bears’ Week 14 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, then head coach Matt Nagy elected to punt on fourth-and-four despite being down by 11 points with 13 minutes in the game. That decision to punt triggered a reaction from former Bears general manager Ryan Pace, who scowled and shook his head.
Those authentic reactions offer a glimpse of what the organization's higher-ups feel when they watch games. If only someone had a glimpse of Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ reaction when Caleb Williams threw the game-tying touchdown to Cole Kmet against the Los Angeles Rams, the Divisional matchup at Soldier Field.
Ryan Poles was honest about his reaction to Caleb Williams' insane TD pass
On fourth-and-four from the Rams’ 14-yard line, Williams lined up in the shotgun, ran backwards to avoid pressure, quickly turned around, and delivered a perfectly placed ball to Kmet. Poles was asked about the play during the Bears’ end-of-season news conference, and he had a similar reaction to many others.
"Yeah, I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't believe it,” Poles said. “It was a ridiculous throw, and that's a credit to him and his genetics and his arm, his ability to create and pocket awareness. You know, I think this year, I realized how athletic he is. Like, I knew he was a good athlete. He's a little awkward in his movements, but like, it's unique in the way that he can get out of things and move his body, so he'll continue to get better and lean into the traits that he has."
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Williams has proven that he can make certain throws that only a few quarterbacks in the NFL would think of attempting, and there is no reason to suggest there won't be more of those jaw-dropping plays as the Bears’ quarterback continues his NFL career.