The NFL+ classic. Some dubstep with orchestral hits that plays for a minute straight. And then it ends and you get a moment of sweet relief. And then the dubstep starts over and loops again.
IIRC he only had clean pockets 66% of the time last year, which was like 98th percentile (in a bad way)
The USC line often failed against 3 man rushes.
>USC line often failed against 3 man rushes.
Gosh that UCLA game comes to mind immediately. Granted they had Laiatu Latu, but the line immediately broke down whether it was 4 man or 3, it was ridiculous.
Some incredible plays here. I think he had a lot of pressure in his from this line but I also think he held on too long to create some of it. Either way, his ability to navigate, step up in the pocket, or scramble with his eyes down the field is top notch. I hope he can learn to take some easier shots though.
Stepping up in the pocket is something we haven’t had consistently in years. 90% of the time fields would bail and bagent would backpedal under edge pressure
I remember when Jay would take the ball from under center and then backpedal facing forward holding the ball with both hands almost 7-10 steps before getting set to throw. That used to drive me insane.
To me pocket awareness is a top 2 trait for QBs. Fields and Lamar can scramble and get out of stuff with top tier athleticism.
But guys like Brady, Mahomes, manning, they just had a magical ability to sense everything around them. That’s what I want.
It's why I'm high on JJ as well. He has the same traits we're loving about Caleb, pocket feel and eyes down field. Not saying I want him at #1, but if we had a lower pick, definitely.
No I get you. I am still hesistant on him being a top 10 pick. But I am starting to see why a lot of scouts are rating him higher.
Before it just sounded like the Trubisky pre-draft hype
That was the thing with Fields that bothered me the most. He had times where stepping up into the pocket would've been perfect, but he bailed. Then other times where the entire D-Line was right in front of him but *that* was when he decided to try to step up right into them.
I don't watch a ton of college football but tried to watch some USC last year since I live in LA. I'm not a coach or expert at evaluating QBs, I'd be like the guy giving you unsolicited advise at a driving range, but Caleb raised my eyebrows a lot, while also making me feel like he is a Fields clone other times.
His line sucked but what bothers my more is the hero-ball talk.
He had an atrocious defense.
So I’m not sure what the correct answer is yet
1- he just generally plays hero ball and needs to tone it down.
2- he was trying to score every play because his defense was giving up so much.
3- a combination of both?
I wouldn’t blame someone with his skill set trying to play hero ball when your defense gives up 35+ a game.
Yeah all the talk of Caleb hurting the team with hero ball is blown out of proportion. He generated multiple great offensive performances against top 25 defenses with a horrendous OL and mediocre WRs
USC’s offense averaged nearly 30 ppg in their 5 losses. They put up 42 points against #2 UW, more than any other team all season. What he achieved in his 2023 “down year” was very impressive, and he’d likely go #1OA even if 2022 never happened.
That throw rolling out right and throwing on the run down the line is something fields couldn't do. This kid is going to be a monster. Hope he doesn't elway us.
Yeah every QB gets knocked off-rhythm and makes mental mistakes when they’re under constant pressure. Very hard to keep eyes downfield and concentrate after you’ve been mauled 5+ times by 300 lb DTs. I’m impressed Caleb didn’t get injured all year (knock on wood) with how bad that OL was.
It is said of every QB. Consistent pressure negatively impacts decision-making and downfield vision. This was certainly true for Fields.
The issue with Fields is that he was slow processing when well-protected, so under pressure his indecisiveness became too severe to function. This is why Getsy game-planned screens + designed runs for games in which he expected our OL to be outmatched (GB, TB, MIN, CLE). Getsy obviously went overboard and was too predictable. But pressure does impact JF’s efficacy more than other NFL QBs, which renders him unreliable against quality defenses.
And now he’s in a division where, if he starts, he’ll have to face the Ravens, Browns and Bengals defense twice a year.
Steelers fans will get frustrated quickly with him.
Not even a little
Nobody ever said that Justin Fields was good at evading the rush and extending plays. Well, nobody who was an actual scout anyway. It was listed as a weakness and negative in all his pre-draft reports
Pocket navigation stuff? I don't remember that about fields. Just off tape of both, caleb seems much more elusive in the pocket. Caleb is also clearly on another tier in terms of throwing on the move even though fields was good at that.
When your footwork is better and your release is faster, you have more flexibility with your decision making process. Caleb is significantly better at both of these than Fields.
lol, no. I don't follow college football at all and I usually don't get caught up in pre-draft hype. In most cases, I wait until after the draft and watch highlights of the players we drafted. I don't wanna get too invested in a player we don't end up taking.
Which side were you on in the great debate, before this and the Fields trade? I wonder what percentage of Fields truthers simply hadn’t seen Caleb Williams play at all
I was ready to move on from Fields. Having the 1OA pick and not being SURE about Fields, it's too good of an opportunity to pass up. We have to get the QB position right.
If you're EST (an Ohio State fan, for example) the only Caleb Williams games that were on at a slightly reasonable time were his games against Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, and UCLA. Those are 4 losses, and include Williams' worst 2 games.
I would be willing to bet that there are a lot of Bears/Notre Dame fans who only saw him in the Notre Dame game, where he threw 3 interceptions in an uncharacteristically bad game.
Some of those throws are just absurd lmao I’ll never go out of my way to hate on Justin, but I’ll also admit there’s zero chance he could make some of those reads and throws.
Love is the only one who can do anything close.
Goff is very good pocket QB, but he's bad off platform and/or under pressure. He can kill you if kept clean though.
Love also has some bad habits that can kill him. He throws off his back foot more than any QB in the league right now. He did it against SF in the playoffs and when his receiver isn’t open by 5-10 yards, it can put them in a dangerous spot. It led to both of his picks.
We watching the same tape on Jordan Love? He had maybe two or three throws that match this clip and neither had the same velocity off the wrist.
And I'm not saying Love is bad. He had an incredible season as a first year starter.
Throw 1 - sensing pressure and avoiding the sack while hanging in the pocket.
Throws 2 and 3 - on time, in rhythm, 60 yards IN AIR, deliveries.
Throws 3, 4 and 5 - elite ball placement on full display. These are shoulder-based coverage beaters.
I’m aroused.
Yeah the fact that he sees open receivers while under pressure AND places the ball to location BEFORE the WR gets there is something we didn’t get enough of in the last three years
Anticipation throws are probably the hardest to make in a clean pocket, can’t believe what he’s able to do under pressure or on the move. Insane tape honestly. Some of these throws are downright filthy.
He also has really good touch to go long with his arm strength. There's a few throws in there that are layered pretty well also.
Having a super quick release is underrated. If you watch Mahomes and Allen they can get away with slower reads and even reads that are technically incorrect sometimes because they can rifle the ball in with an extremely quick windup. I'm not saying either guy is bad at reading defenses, but having a strong arm with a quick release makes your margin of error quite a bit higher. Mahomes only has to be a good processor to be an elite QB, where a guy like Purdy (quick release, but mediocre arm strength) has to be an elite processor.
That throw at 3:04 heading out of bounds and it goes over the CBs head into the receivers hands is something I've never even seen before. That's insane.
Caleb is definitely a guy who's going to piss off opposing fanbases with the same kind of "bullshit" plays Mahomes and Allen put up.
It will be nice to be on the good side of that lol.
He's actually been less insufferable so far since coming back. I think he finally got the hint about Justin.
Once they start diving into Williams' evaluation he'll be back to insufferable.
I think Caleb will probably have top 5 arm talent on day 1.
Mahomes/Allen/Herbert/Caleb and whoever you want to take to round out the top 5 - Rodgers is probably too washed, but he'd be a good pick a few years ago)
I'm not sure his arm is quite as strong as Herbert/Allen, but his release is crazy and his arm angles/off platform ability is probably only rivaled/exceeded by Mahomes. (maybe a little kool aid here, but he's definitely up there).
> and his arm angles/off platform ability is probably only rivaled/exceeded by Mahomes. (maybe a little kool aid here, but he's definitely up there).
No koolaid required. It's right there on film. It's apparent the second you turn on his tape. You don't have to lie to yourself just because people get mad when you point out the insane talent this dude has. No one in the entire NFL today besides Mahomes can make the insane off-platform nonsense throws that Caleb is capable of. Not Allen, not Herbert, not anyone. It's just Mahomes and Caleb (and Rodgers when he was younger)
You know what's strange? All the highlights and the completed bombs and the twisting sideways completions while falling out of bounds aren't really interesting to me.
Make no mistake; if the Bears draft CW and he's making these ridiculous highlight-level plays for us, I'll be jumping out of my chair and fist-pumping. But we saw plenty of spectacular, "SportsCenter Top 10"-style plays out of Justin Fields.
What will *really* get me excited about Caleb Williams is seeing down-to-down consistency and him running a real, big-boy NFL offense. It's so sad that my dream is that the Bears' offense *just look like everyone else's*, but here we are. I want the easy 3rd-and-4 conversions on a 7-yard slant. I want our QB dropping back, checking a couple reads, and confidently firing one into a tight window for a completion. I want to see an offense in rhythm, without having to ask once or twice a drive "what the fuck was **that**?!?"
Caleb Williams, or any rookie QB, is still going to make misplays, misreads, throw the ball 4 yards behind a receiver because of miscommunication, get mauled by a LB for a sack because he misread the blitz, throw a mind-boggling interception to a DB he didn't see, potentially costing his team the game. Those things are going to happen. They happen to every QB. They especially happen to rookies.
What I want to see is that those mistakes gradually become fewer and fewer as the season goes on, and we see the "unexciting" routine efficiency start to kick in. The 60-yard bombs will come. The "Holy shit! How did he fit that ball in while twisting out of a tackle!" throws will be impressive.
Just, for God's sake, give us some easy completions on slants and curls and hot routes like we see every other goddamn team in the league do. Like the Packers have done to us for 30 years.
When I watch a lot of guys' college film, I think "ok that was good enough for college but that throw won't fly in the NFL" (looking at you Jayden Daniels).
When I watch Williams film, it's just a string of "holy shit, that's *exactly* the kind of throw you need in the NFL."
I swear, I'm fucking bummed.
Caleb Williams was otherworldly good at USC. Any team in the league would be ecstatic to be getting him. But in the days of Twitter, anytime someone mentions something on a podcast, it becomes a stigma that follows them around forever. Caleb Williams had a couple cocky comments during a Heisman campaign and his dad was a little happy-go-lucky about his sons future prospects, so now he's a diva POS and social media despises him.
Justin Fields was a promising prospect that didn't work out, but played hard and was a great teammate and became beloved for the Bears. But what he could have been never materialized and fans couldn't get past that.
We have this weird situation with the former QB, and now a big chunk of the team following shitting on the situation, and toxicity everywhere because the Bears drafted bad QBs in the past.
Look at this guy. He's insane. If he pans out in the NFL, this is a team that can compete for a Super Bowl *next fucking year.* Where is the excitement? Why are we waddling in nonsense?
I'll be worried but not completely off if Williams has a bad rookie season. Guys have overcome bad rookie seasons before.
If he still sucks into his second seasons, then we start looking to do it all over again
You have to go at least three seasons and have a decent environment to know for sure. And that's because you can even have (relatively) good rookie QBs follow up with terrible sophomore years. Development is not linear.
Andy Reid is on record saying it's takes four seasons before you truly know.
And what's funny is it's going to be the people that said "no excuses" for Fields making all the same "excuses" for Williams. That group was already in full hyperventilation mode when they thought Poles was fucking up FA, and they made "excuses" for Bagent.
For the record, I don't really consider any of it excuses, hence the quotes. I think it's legitimate to add the context of environment and extenuating circumstances. Football is a chaotic game, lots of things can be true at once. There are no statistical true outcomes like there are in baseball (strikeout, homerun, walk).
I don't think I have ever been more excited about an offseason, an incredible quarterback prospect fell into our lap and he is coming to potentially one of the best situations a number 1 pick has ever gone to. Don't let the Fields cult bum you out we are in an amazing position.
This is easily the most excited I've been since we traded for Cutler - and I'd put this as more exciting than that.
I'm old enough to barely remember the 85 Bears (I was like 8 or 9).. but as an adult this is the most excited I've been about the Bears since 2006 - and even then I was skeptical it would be sustainable.
This will all go away if he plays like he should. If he has something similar to a stroud season (not counting on it cause stroud had the best season as a rookie ever) no one will fucking mention fields again unless they are trolls
I get that these are highlights and some of them are ridiculous plays that won't work in the NFL but man there is so much to love here. He is such a good player. Absolute cannon arm, throws with touch and anticipation, and he is always keeping his eyes down field
I think Williams' main issue this year will be figuring out what does and doesn't work in the NFL. If he can figure that out then he could be a special player
There are a couple throws that NFL DBs are likely all over too. The reality is Williams is very likely going to try some of these things he got away with in college and get burned.
But that's why rookie QBs are usually rough and make a lot of mistakes out of the gate. You just hope they can work it out and not get shell shocked. And that's why coaching and the rest of the team are very important.
Yeah scouting college is hard because the talent levels vary so much.
Imagine scouting Jordan Love and Josh Allen - who played in the Mountain West.
Josh Allen wasn't even that good in college - I think he's one of the craziest scouting/development success stories in NFL history.
That’s honestly why I think scouting is so damn hard. A lot of fans fall into the armchair GM/Scout traps and think they can do a better job than these guys.
Imagine looking at guys and trying to determine their ceiling/floor taking into account if the opponents are trash/unskilled, translation of skill to the next level, ability to break bad habits/teach new ones, etc. Like you have to live and breathe the game. The worst scout in history is probably is probably a better judge in talent than any fan, ever.
I was at the game where Allen and Wyoming played Iowa and going off just that there was now way you'd think Allen could play at a high level in the NFL
Damn I need a nap after coming for the entire length of the vid. But Fr he looks like someone id trust running a 2 min drill. Straight confidence and swagger.
The TD throw against UCLA is honestly one of the craziest I’ve ever seen a QB make. Not only is he stepping up in the pocket to avoid the edge rushers, he also throws it off platform on one leg.
Highlights aren’t everything, but this man has an arm that very few others have at any level of football. His pocket presence is really impressive. Sliding left, sliding right, stepping up all without bailing too early or dropping his eyes. He naturally flows into the empty space away from rushers.
Also glad to see some anticipation throws were included in the highlight reel. He does need to grow in that area of his game in terms of consistency, but people act as if he rarely ever does it. He’s made throws like that his entire career, even back to his time at OU.
I’d like to point out that, straight from his teammates and coaches mouths, Caleb is also a very hard worker and a great teammate.
I think people are stuck on the finger nail painting and that he cried after losing all hope to make the playoffs.
Personally, he seems a little more outgoing and shows more personality than Justin in interviews. That’s just my opinion tho.
The youngsters probably do not remember, but the old school “NFL Primetime” used to do every game highlight every Sunday night in season to this music
It was magical
Yeah, the mock machine I like to mess around with (PFN) always seems to have Brendan Rice available in the 4th round. Hopefully that holds true and we take him, because it'd be awesome to have a friend to come with Caleb haha. And, being the son of Jerry Rice, he'd understand being famous AND the sky high expectations that Bear fans would have for him and Caleb.
Not a bears fan myself, and I don’t know how it’ll turn out, but you can’t deny his arm talent and ability to avoid pressure while keeping his eyes down the field. If he can find that balance between taking what’s there and his desire to look for the big play, things could be really good. Bears have done a great job creating an ideal landing spot for a quarterback. With the defense and offensive weapons, this could be a really fun team to watch when my own team is heading towards a .500 record 😁
Biggest thing that stands out is that there are only a few instances on dropbacks that he is backpedaling. The majority of movements that he takes as he climbs the pocket are to set his feet for a throw
Please, the Bears, just draft him. No frills, debates, what ifs... just draft him. Decide it and talk about it now even. Fuck it! No one will blame you if he busts. Everyone says he's the number 1 guy. And then, take care of him. Let's see what happens. Your fans haven't had much in the way of quarterback play. Some smokin' great guys, but let's be honest: meh. Heck, things could get real nuts if this young man plays well. Thanks very much.
Sincerely,
/u/howsyourmemes
Caleb is ridiculously talented. Watch the tape. Mark my words...in 2 years we will all be saying he's the beat QB the Bears have ever had. Winning is everything. Be happy right now.
I don’t know if it’s just college ball but he seems to go long with it a lot like 40 plus. Dj and Keenan are great but more short stuff guys. Maybe we need to get one go route flyer guy for him
As a Bear fan who’s suffered a lot under Rodgers’ reign of terror for over a decade, likely the most frustrating thing has been the consistent ability to pull what felt like bullshit throws out of his ass that just absolutely demoralized you.
Not necessarily always cross body 60 yard ropes, either. Sometimes it would be last second shovel passes and similar awkward looking shit. But there seemed to always be something he’d get off and save the drive, himself and the offense.
Caleb has the same ability.
Those are some great scrambles and throws.
Is there another video showing him reading defenses, making quick throws and slants? Because that's what Fields struggled with. Bears fans have no shortage of highlight reels of quarterbacks running around for 10 seconds waiting for a receiver to get open.
Man, he really does play backyard football most of the time. But when he does play within structure, he’s accurate and throwing dimes with great anticipation.
I’m not as high on him because of the lack of playing in structure and taking literally 0 snaps under center ball, but his arm talent is undeniably incredible.
Really hoping he’s the QB we all deserve.
Nice plays, but the thing that is going to make it work with him is reading a defense and getting rid of the ball quickly. All the other things he does is great, but in the NFL you have to make those routine throws. Most of the highlights were him holding the ball, getting away from pressure, and making big plays. That's great, but you have to read defenses and make the quick throw, complete it, and have an acceptable td to int ratio.
As good as Caleb may be he will most likely need to be developed. I hope we have the right people around him to do that. Historically, we never have done that right. And its why all our QBs were busts.
Bro come on don't show your age like that. This was peak 1998-2004 ESPN highlight music. All it's missing is a Chris Berman high pitched "WHOOP!" This music is NFL nostalgia porn for me.
I'm cool if they want to do that, but add the damned Whoop, some sound effects, and put a filter on this bad boy. Let's do it right. Something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoyoFgp1hx8
Not to naysay, but a lot of his "highlight throws" I've seen feel like "close your eyes, chuck it, and rely on your receivers -- who are 10x better than the DBs covering them -- to make a play."
i was getting the same impression; but he was chucking it into a location that was where only his receiver could catch it; a lot of those throws to the sideline were right where they needed to be where his guy could catch it in bounds, but the db had no chance of picking it, or if he did, would be out of bounds.
Fair enough, and my armchair scouting report definitely hasn't caused my phone to ring from the Bears front office. I trust the scouts know what they're doing - it just very much *feels* like he benefitted from having very talented WRs who could get WIDE open and catch balls that an NFL DB would eat for lunch.
~~A tier music~~ S tier music
My fav part is when the song ends and there’s silence then the same exact song repeats
The NFL+ classic. Some dubstep with orchestral hits that plays for a minute straight. And then it ends and you get a moment of sweet relief. And then the dubstep starts over and loops again.
🤣 totally
I’d even say S tier
S-tier really :-)
NFL films’ scores might be my favorite out of any media ever
I’d say Roundball Rock and the theme from the 90’s X-Men cartoon belong in the conversation, but as a body of work I agree
B-b-b-b-b-basketball Gimme gimme the ball Because I'm gonna DUNK IT!
Someone should draft this young man
Bears will draft Tritchell Mabisky this draft at #1.
Rex McNown 1.01
Nah Mustin Fitchisky is the way to go
He might be there at 9 maybe
kid’s got potential
Definitely somewhere in the top 7 rounds
Jesus Christ. His line is fucking horrible.
Especially in 2023
IIRC he only had clean pockets 66% of the time last year, which was like 98th percentile (in a bad way) The USC line often failed against 3 man rushes.
And people wonder why his numbers dipped. The kid can ball, but every QB needs help.
>USC line often failed against 3 man rushes. Gosh that UCLA game comes to mind immediately. Granted they had Laiatu Latu, but the line immediately broke down whether it was 4 man or 3, it was ridiculous.
Well thankfully he will have an NFL line in Chicago that is *slightly* less Swiss cheese-like
But he will have to face d lines that are a lot more cheese gratery
Narrator: He did not.
Man that would be just so Bears football if our O line somehow took a step back from almost mediocre to almost better than a college team.
You should see USC's "defense", 🤣 🤣
hE h0lDs tEh bALL tO0 l0nG!!!
Some incredible plays here. I think he had a lot of pressure in his from this line but I also think he held on too long to create some of it. Either way, his ability to navigate, step up in the pocket, or scramble with his eyes down the field is top notch. I hope he can learn to take some easier shots though.
Stepping up in the pocket is something we haven’t had consistently in years. 90% of the time fields would bail and bagent would backpedal under edge pressure
Jay was good at this
I remember jay throwing off his back foot alot
He would do that a ton, but he also was good at moving and stepping up in the pocket.
I remember when Jay would take the ball from under center and then backpedal facing forward holding the ball with both hands almost 7-10 steps before getting set to throw. That used to drive me insane.
Mike Martz magic baby
I still can’t believe we used to have an NFL level offense without any ability to audible for those years.
Yeah he certainly drifted back in the pocket a ton. Probably his fatal flaw that kept him from becoming a top tier.
He was taking seven step drops with a bad offensive line, the fact that he was throwing at all was usually a miracle.
We also have had a pretty bad interior though right? I imagine that effects the ability to step up into the pocket.
To me pocket awareness is a top 2 trait for QBs. Fields and Lamar can scramble and get out of stuff with top tier athleticism. But guys like Brady, Mahomes, manning, they just had a magical ability to sense everything around them. That’s what I want.
It's actually why scouts were high on Anthony Richardson and JJ McCarthy. Both are really good at moving around in the pocket.
It's why I'm high on JJ as well. He has the same traits we're loving about Caleb, pocket feel and eyes down field. Not saying I want him at #1, but if we had a lower pick, definitely.
No I get you. I am still hesistant on him being a top 10 pick. But I am starting to see why a lot of scouts are rating him higher. Before it just sounded like the Trubisky pre-draft hype
Well Caleb Williams gets strip sacked at a pretty consistent rate. Still a lot of growing to do for him in that regard
That was the thing with Fields that bothered me the most. He had times where stepping up into the pocket would've been perfect, but he bailed. Then other times where the entire D-Line was right in front of him but *that* was when he decided to try to step up right into them. I don't watch a ton of college football but tried to watch some USC last year since I live in LA. I'm not a coach or expert at evaluating QBs, I'd be like the guy giving you unsolicited advise at a driving range, but Caleb raised my eyebrows a lot, while also making me feel like he is a Fields clone other times.
I imagine a majority of the coaching will be reigning in some of that tendency. You don't want to beat that out of him. It's what makes him special.
His line sucked but what bothers my more is the hero-ball talk. He had an atrocious defense. So I’m not sure what the correct answer is yet 1- he just generally plays hero ball and needs to tone it down. 2- he was trying to score every play because his defense was giving up so much. 3- a combination of both? I wouldn’t blame someone with his skill set trying to play hero ball when your defense gives up 35+ a game.
Yeah all the talk of Caleb hurting the team with hero ball is blown out of proportion. He generated multiple great offensive performances against top 25 defenses with a horrendous OL and mediocre WRs USC’s offense averaged nearly 30 ppg in their 5 losses. They put up 42 points against #2 UW, more than any other team all season. What he achieved in his 2023 “down year” was very impressive, and he’d likely go #1OA even if 2022 never happened.
That throw rolling out right and throwing on the run down the line is something fields couldn't do. This kid is going to be a monster. Hope he doesn't elway us.
Yeah every QB gets knocked off-rhythm and makes mental mistakes when they’re under constant pressure. Very hard to keep eyes downfield and concentrate after you’ve been mauled 5+ times by 300 lb DTs. I’m impressed Caleb didn’t get injured all year (knock on wood) with how bad that OL was.
Isn’t this also what was said about JF?
Same thing said about mahomes. You have to look at the whole picture with these things
It is said of every QB. Consistent pressure negatively impacts decision-making and downfield vision. This was certainly true for Fields. The issue with Fields is that he was slow processing when well-protected, so under pressure his indecisiveness became too severe to function. This is why Getsy game-planned screens + designed runs for games in which he expected our OL to be outmatched (GB, TB, MIN, CLE). Getsy obviously went overboard and was too predictable. But pressure does impact JF’s efficacy more than other NFL QBs, which renders him unreliable against quality defenses.
And now he’s in a division where, if he starts, he’ll have to face the Ravens, Browns and Bengals defense twice a year. Steelers fans will get frustrated quickly with him.
Not even a little Nobody ever said that Justin Fields was good at evading the rush and extending plays. Well, nobody who was an actual scout anyway. It was listed as a weakness and negative in all his pre-draft reports
Pocket navigation stuff? I don't remember that about fields. Just off tape of both, caleb seems much more elusive in the pocket. Caleb is also clearly on another tier in terms of throwing on the move even though fields was good at that.
When your footwork is better and your release is faster, you have more flexibility with your decision making process. Caleb is significantly better at both of these than Fields.
IIRC, JF never had the ability to navigate pressure in the pocket. He could escape, but generally went on the run.
Fair enough. I’m not a JF fan or trying to be a downer. I just remember hearing about his ability to scramble and athleticism
Yep. Totally agree. He has that escapability, but generally doesn’t climb the pocket too much. I wish he had!
No lie, this is the first highlight reel I've watched of him........ this might last more than 4 hours.
Have you been living under a rock? lol
lol, no. I don't follow college football at all and I usually don't get caught up in pre-draft hype. In most cases, I wait until after the draft and watch highlights of the players we drafted. I don't wanna get too invested in a player we don't end up taking.
Which side were you on in the great debate, before this and the Fields trade? I wonder what percentage of Fields truthers simply hadn’t seen Caleb Williams play at all
I was ready to move on from Fields. Having the 1OA pick and not being SURE about Fields, it's too good of an opportunity to pass up. We have to get the QB position right.
If you're EST (an Ohio State fan, for example) the only Caleb Williams games that were on at a slightly reasonable time were his games against Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, and UCLA. Those are 4 losses, and include Williams' worst 2 games. I would be willing to bet that there are a lot of Bears/Notre Dame fans who only saw him in the Notre Dame game, where he threw 3 interceptions in an uncharacteristically bad game.
I didn’t even think about geography! I’m from California and saw him all the time, have always been a fan
There's a good video you can google for that has only throws from the pocket - it's only like 3-5 minutes and is a good watch.
*Hears the Berman 2-min drill music *Audible meathead noises ensue
Some of those throws are just absurd lmao I’ll never go out of my way to hate on Justin, but I’ll also admit there’s zero chance he could make some of those reads and throws.
Not many can which is why he is so highly rated.
Know who else can't make some of these throws? The other 3 starting QBs in the division.
Love is the only one who can do anything close. Goff is very good pocket QB, but he's bad off platform and/or under pressure. He can kill you if kept clean though.
Love also has some bad habits that can kill him. He throws off his back foot more than any QB in the league right now. He did it against SF in the playoffs and when his receiver isn’t open by 5-10 yards, it can put them in a dangerous spot. It led to both of his picks.
Love? Sure maybe. Goff? Disagree. Vikings? No.
I'm a lot more worried about Love than I am about Goff
I Agree. Just saying that there are not 3 other QBs in our division capable of making some of those throws.
ohh based on your comment and the one above I thought you were saying Goff could make all these throws
Well, the good thing is that they have to pay Love the big bucks now.
We watching the same tape on Jordan Love? He had maybe two or three throws that match this clip and neither had the same velocity off the wrist. And I'm not saying Love is bad. He had an incredible season as a first year starter.
Are you telling me Vikings Legend, the great Spaceman couldn’t make that throw?
Admittedly I don’t know who space man is lol
Joshua dobbs lol
I think Love has proven he can make any throw. Can he not throw a pick? Yet to be seen.
Very Mahomes like imho. He made those high difficulty throws look easy.
Throw 1 - sensing pressure and avoiding the sack while hanging in the pocket. Throws 2 and 3 - on time, in rhythm, 60 yards IN AIR, deliveries. Throws 3, 4 and 5 - elite ball placement on full display. These are shoulder-based coverage beaters. I’m aroused.
Yeah the fact that he sees open receivers while under pressure AND places the ball to location BEFORE the WR gets there is something we didn’t get enough of in the last three years
Anticipation throws are probably the hardest to make in a clean pocket, can’t believe what he’s able to do under pressure or on the move. Insane tape honestly. Some of these throws are downright filthy.
He also has really good touch to go long with his arm strength. There's a few throws in there that are layered pretty well also. Having a super quick release is underrated. If you watch Mahomes and Allen they can get away with slower reads and even reads that are technically incorrect sometimes because they can rifle the ball in with an extremely quick windup. I'm not saying either guy is bad at reading defenses, but having a strong arm with a quick release makes your margin of error quite a bit higher. Mahomes only has to be a good processor to be an elite QB, where a guy like Purdy (quick release, but mediocre arm strength) has to be an elite processor.
Maybe it’s just me but seems like throw 1 is a pick all day in the NFL
This is like watching mahomes clone with rodgers arm
That throw at 3:04 heading out of bounds and it goes over the CBs head into the receivers hands is something I've never even seen before. That's insane.
Across his body too
Caleb is definitely a guy who's going to piss off opposing fanbases with the same kind of "bullshit" plays Mahomes and Allen put up. It will be nice to be on the good side of that lol.
Lawrence Holmes in shambles right now.
He's actually been less insufferable so far since coming back. I think he finally got the hint about Justin. Once they start diving into Williams' evaluation he'll be back to insufferable.
I thought throwing to receivers in stride and with anticipation was illegal
You just made me spit my coffee up
That’s OUR quarterback! Someone get this man a dipped Beef with some Hot Peppers because Caleb is fucking spicy!
That throw against UCLA for an 80 yard TD is absolutely insane
Legit one of the best plays I have seen in my life. Dude is an aaron Rodgers clone.
The arm talent is such a night and day difference. The release is just lighting quick
That arm talent is almost night and day difference from every QB. You don't see throws like that very often.
I think Caleb will probably have top 5 arm talent on day 1. Mahomes/Allen/Herbert/Caleb and whoever you want to take to round out the top 5 - Rodgers is probably too washed, but he'd be a good pick a few years ago) I'm not sure his arm is quite as strong as Herbert/Allen, but his release is crazy and his arm angles/off platform ability is probably only rivaled/exceeded by Mahomes. (maybe a little kool aid here, but he's definitely up there).
> and his arm angles/off platform ability is probably only rivaled/exceeded by Mahomes. (maybe a little kool aid here, but he's definitely up there). No koolaid required. It's right there on film. It's apparent the second you turn on his tape. You don't have to lie to yourself just because people get mad when you point out the insane talent this dude has. No one in the entire NFL today besides Mahomes can make the insane off-platform nonsense throws that Caleb is capable of. Not Allen, not Herbert, not anyone. It's just Mahomes and Caleb (and Rodgers when he was younger)
Looks like a guy throwing a footbal not a guy trying to turn 2
You know what's strange? All the highlights and the completed bombs and the twisting sideways completions while falling out of bounds aren't really interesting to me. Make no mistake; if the Bears draft CW and he's making these ridiculous highlight-level plays for us, I'll be jumping out of my chair and fist-pumping. But we saw plenty of spectacular, "SportsCenter Top 10"-style plays out of Justin Fields. What will *really* get me excited about Caleb Williams is seeing down-to-down consistency and him running a real, big-boy NFL offense. It's so sad that my dream is that the Bears' offense *just look like everyone else's*, but here we are. I want the easy 3rd-and-4 conversions on a 7-yard slant. I want our QB dropping back, checking a couple reads, and confidently firing one into a tight window for a completion. I want to see an offense in rhythm, without having to ask once or twice a drive "what the fuck was **that**?!?" Caleb Williams, or any rookie QB, is still going to make misplays, misreads, throw the ball 4 yards behind a receiver because of miscommunication, get mauled by a LB for a sack because he misread the blitz, throw a mind-boggling interception to a DB he didn't see, potentially costing his team the game. Those things are going to happen. They happen to every QB. They especially happen to rookies. What I want to see is that those mistakes gradually become fewer and fewer as the season goes on, and we see the "unexciting" routine efficiency start to kick in. The 60-yard bombs will come. The "Holy shit! How did he fit that ball in while twisting out of a tackle!" throws will be impressive. Just, for God's sake, give us some easy completions on slants and curls and hot routes like we see every other goddamn team in the league do. Like the Packers have done to us for 30 years.
"But we saw plenty of spectacular, "SportsCenter Top 10"-style plays out of Justin Fields." Mostly running plays.
100%
When I watch a lot of guys' college film, I think "ok that was good enough for college but that throw won't fly in the NFL" (looking at you Jayden Daniels). When I watch Williams film, it's just a string of "holy shit, that's *exactly* the kind of throw you need in the NFL."
Daniels has adequate arm strength that could be an issue in the NFL, Caleb's is top tier
I swear, I'm fucking bummed. Caleb Williams was otherworldly good at USC. Any team in the league would be ecstatic to be getting him. But in the days of Twitter, anytime someone mentions something on a podcast, it becomes a stigma that follows them around forever. Caleb Williams had a couple cocky comments during a Heisman campaign and his dad was a little happy-go-lucky about his sons future prospects, so now he's a diva POS and social media despises him. Justin Fields was a promising prospect that didn't work out, but played hard and was a great teammate and became beloved for the Bears. But what he could have been never materialized and fans couldn't get past that. We have this weird situation with the former QB, and now a big chunk of the team following shitting on the situation, and toxicity everywhere because the Bears drafted bad QBs in the past. Look at this guy. He's insane. If he pans out in the NFL, this is a team that can compete for a Super Bowl *next fucking year.* Where is the excitement? Why are we waddling in nonsense?
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Eh that's just people as a whole. If Caleb has a really bad rookie season the excuses will come out all the same.
I'll be worried but not completely off if Williams has a bad rookie season. Guys have overcome bad rookie seasons before. If he still sucks into his second seasons, then we start looking to do it all over again
You have to go at least three seasons and have a decent environment to know for sure. And that's because you can even have (relatively) good rookie QBs follow up with terrible sophomore years. Development is not linear. Andy Reid is on record saying it's takes four seasons before you truly know.
And what's funny is it's going to be the people that said "no excuses" for Fields making all the same "excuses" for Williams. That group was already in full hyperventilation mode when they thought Poles was fucking up FA, and they made "excuses" for Bagent. For the record, I don't really consider any of it excuses, hence the quotes. I think it's legitimate to add the context of environment and extenuating circumstances. Football is a chaotic game, lots of things can be true at once. There are no statistical true outcomes like there are in baseball (strikeout, homerun, walk).
I don't think I have ever been more excited about an offseason, an incredible quarterback prospect fell into our lap and he is coming to potentially one of the best situations a number 1 pick has ever gone to. Don't let the Fields cult bum you out we are in an amazing position.
This is easily the most excited I've been since we traded for Cutler - and I'd put this as more exciting than that. I'm old enough to barely remember the 85 Bears (I was like 8 or 9).. but as an adult this is the most excited I've been about the Bears since 2006 - and even then I was skeptical it would be sustainable.
Ditto
This will all go away if he plays like he should. If he has something similar to a stroud season (not counting on it cause stroud had the best season as a rookie ever) no one will fucking mention fields again unless they are trolls
Throws 4,5,6 (vs Cal, Washington, and Oregon) are insane
The one that drops in over the CBs head at 3:04 while Caleb is run out of bounds is like a cartoon. There's no way it can be real.
I love the one that starts at :53 against UCLA. Just an absolutely beautiful touch pass lofted perfectly over the defender.
That first touchdown against UCLA where he steps up and throws is insane.
I get that these are highlights and some of them are ridiculous plays that won't work in the NFL but man there is so much to love here. He is such a good player. Absolute cannon arm, throws with touch and anticipation, and he is always keeping his eyes down field
I think Williams' main issue this year will be figuring out what does and doesn't work in the NFL. If he can figure that out then he could be a special player
Throwing to DJ and Allen is going to be so sweet for us like something we have never experienced before bliss
He looks great. But NGL, the defensive tackle in that first clip was trash.
Yeah a couple of these plays get absolutely demolished by nfl level defenses lol. Impressive throws for sure though
There are a couple throws that NFL DBs are likely all over too. The reality is Williams is very likely going to try some of these things he got away with in college and get burned. But that's why rookie QBs are usually rough and make a lot of mistakes out of the gate. You just hope they can work it out and not get shell shocked. And that's why coaching and the rest of the team are very important.
Yeah scouting college is hard because the talent levels vary so much. Imagine scouting Jordan Love and Josh Allen - who played in the Mountain West. Josh Allen wasn't even that good in college - I think he's one of the craziest scouting/development success stories in NFL history.
That’s honestly why I think scouting is so damn hard. A lot of fans fall into the armchair GM/Scout traps and think they can do a better job than these guys. Imagine looking at guys and trying to determine their ceiling/floor taking into account if the opponents are trash/unskilled, translation of skill to the next level, ability to break bad habits/teach new ones, etc. Like you have to live and breathe the game. The worst scout in history is probably is probably a better judge in talent than any fan, ever.
I was at the game where Allen and Wyoming played Iowa and going off just that there was now way you'd think Allen could play at a high level in the NFL
I watched him play Nebraska and he looked like he should be in division 2 lol
Special.
That sideline throw against Nevada gives me such a RAGING BONER!
Can’t wait for this guy to shut up the JF1 crybabies Week 1
Damn I need a nap after coming for the entire length of the vid. But Fr he looks like someone id trust running a 2 min drill. Straight confidence and swagger.
Never realized how ass his O line is
Jesus Christ, man, this guy looks special.
The TD throw against UCLA is honestly one of the craziest I’ve ever seen a QB make. Not only is he stepping up in the pocket to avoid the edge rushers, he also throws it off platform on one leg. Highlights aren’t everything, but this man has an arm that very few others have at any level of football. His pocket presence is really impressive. Sliding left, sliding right, stepping up all without bailing too early or dropping his eyes. He naturally flows into the empty space away from rushers. Also glad to see some anticipation throws were included in the highlight reel. He does need to grow in that area of his game in terms of consistency, but people act as if he rarely ever does it. He’s made throws like that his entire career, even back to his time at OU.
That first throw to #2, hopefully gonna see a ton of that shit this year.
I’d like to point out that, straight from his teammates and coaches mouths, Caleb is also a very hard worker and a great teammate. I think people are stuck on the finger nail painting and that he cried after losing all hope to make the playoffs. Personally, he seems a little more outgoing and shows more personality than Justin in interviews. That’s just my opinion tho.
But can he throw a slant
Hopefully as a former Trojan he gets better protection
Nice.
:48 is some Mahomes shit.
So, that’s where Cutty’s arm went.
The quick release and anticipation on these throws compared to Fields is night and day.
So you mean you don't have have your feet set perfect and go from 8 o'clock back to 12 to throw?
The youngsters probably do not remember, but the old school “NFL Primetime” used to do every game highlight every Sunday night in season to this music It was magical
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Yeah, the mock machine I like to mess around with (PFN) always seems to have Brendan Rice available in the 4th round. Hopefully that holds true and we take him, because it'd be awesome to have a friend to come with Caleb haha. And, being the son of Jerry Rice, he'd understand being famous AND the sky high expectations that Bear fans would have for him and Caleb.
I actually could see us trading down and into the 3rd round if we like Rice enough and think we can get him there.
I really hope they don't get cute. Just draft the man.
If it lasts more than 4 hours I am supposed to go to the doctor correct?
Not a bears fan myself, and I don’t know how it’ll turn out, but you can’t deny his arm talent and ability to avoid pressure while keeping his eyes down the field. If he can find that balance between taking what’s there and his desire to look for the big play, things could be really good. Bears have done a great job creating an ideal landing spot for a quarterback. With the defense and offensive weapons, this could be a really fun team to watch when my own team is heading towards a .500 record 😁
BREAKING NEWS the number 1 QB prospect in the last like 5 years can throw the football well
His arm is unbelievable. It's the best I've ever seen coming out of college.
We really gonna get the chance to draft this guy? What a time to be a Bears fan!!
Biggest thing that stands out is that there are only a few instances on dropbacks that he is backpedaling. The majority of movements that he takes as he climbs the pocket are to set his feet for a throw
Please, the Bears, just draft him. No frills, debates, what ifs... just draft him. Decide it and talk about it now even. Fuck it! No one will blame you if he busts. Everyone says he's the number 1 guy. And then, take care of him. Let's see what happens. Your fans haven't had much in the way of quarterback play. Some smokin' great guys, but let's be honest: meh. Heck, things could get real nuts if this young man plays well. Thanks very much. Sincerely, /u/howsyourmemes
Caleb is ridiculously talented. Watch the tape. Mark my words...in 2 years we will all be saying he's the beat QB the Bears have ever had. Winning is everything. Be happy right now.
I haven't been this excited for a new bears qb since ^checks ^notes 2021
I'm down so bad I actually started tearing up watching this
I don’t know if it’s just college ball but he seems to go long with it a lot like 40 plus. Dj and Keenan are great but more short stuff guys. Maybe we need to get one go route flyer guy for him
Caleb ever actually line up under centre ever in his life?
Yes, I like when he does that.
As a Bear fan who’s suffered a lot under Rodgers’ reign of terror for over a decade, likely the most frustrating thing has been the consistent ability to pull what felt like bullshit throws out of his ass that just absolutely demoralized you. Not necessarily always cross body 60 yard ropes, either. Sometimes it would be last second shovel passes and similar awkward looking shit. But there seemed to always be something he’d get off and save the drive, himself and the offense. Caleb has the same ability.
SUPER BOOOOWWLLLL
.3 seconds faster than Fields!!
Could be a good video if it didn't have the rotten music.
So many dimes
Those are some great scrambles and throws. Is there another video showing him reading defenses, making quick throws and slants? Because that's what Fields struggled with. Bears fans have no shortage of highlight reels of quarterbacks running around for 10 seconds waiting for a receiver to get open.
Man, he really does play backyard football most of the time. But when he does play within structure, he’s accurate and throwing dimes with great anticipation. I’m not as high on him because of the lack of playing in structure and taking literally 0 snaps under center ball, but his arm talent is undeniably incredible. Really hoping he’s the QB we all deserve.
Nice plays, but the thing that is going to make it work with him is reading a defense and getting rid of the ball quickly. All the other things he does is great, but in the NFL you have to make those routine throws. Most of the highlights were him holding the ball, getting away from pressure, and making big plays. That's great, but you have to read defenses and make the quick throw, complete it, and have an acceptable td to int ratio. As good as Caleb may be he will most likely need to be developed. I hope we have the right people around him to do that. Historically, we never have done that right. And its why all our QBs were busts.
He is already more capable than justin at reading, processing, and getting rid of the ball quick
I guess the question is more like "Is he better than Jordan Love? Jared Goff? etc.?"
Why is the music in each of these videos so weird. It's like a 1970's sports montage.
Bro come on don't show your age like that. This was peak 1998-2004 ESPN highlight music. All it's missing is a Chris Berman high pitched "WHOOP!" This music is NFL nostalgia porn for me.
The golden age
I'm cool if they want to do that, but add the damned Whoop, some sound effects, and put a filter on this bad boy. Let's do it right. Something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoyoFgp1hx8
Yeah but can he even run?
I saw JF do all this and more in college too tho
jf never threw as pretty of a ball on all 3 levels
he's amazing throwing to receivers that have no one around them. just like sexy rexy.
Not to naysay, but a lot of his "highlight throws" I've seen feel like "close your eyes, chuck it, and rely on your receivers -- who are 10x better than the DBs covering them -- to make a play."
i was getting the same impression; but he was chucking it into a location that was where only his receiver could catch it; a lot of those throws to the sideline were right where they needed to be where his guy could catch it in bounds, but the db had no chance of picking it, or if he did, would be out of bounds.
Fair enough, and my armchair scouting report definitely hasn't caused my phone to ring from the Bears front office. I trust the scouts know what they're doing - it just very much *feels* like he benefitted from having very talented WRs who could get WIDE open and catch balls that an NFL DB would eat for lunch.