Which is a #1 overall & which a 3rd string backup?
QB1: 77.3%, 186yds, ZERO INTs, 1 TD, [53 yds rushing]
116.9 Rating
QB2 [b4 last junk drive]: 68.8%, 201 yds, 1 INT, ZERO TDs, two intentional groundings, [22 YDS rushing]
Approx 75.1 rating
Caleb Williams didn’t play against the 2000 Ravens. As I wrote in the preview:
Ravensโ D is allowing 4.6 ypc [to RBs]
32.3 PPG [32nd]; rank 27th stopping 3rd down conversions.
Their pass D isnโt much better. Their secondary amazingly enough has only ONE INT thus far [now two] while allowing 108.4 passer rating [28th]and 246 passing yds [28th] with only 8 sacks and low pressure rate.
Caleb somehow still found a way to look indecisive, inaccurate and Trubiskesque; he also struggled mightily against the lowly Saints, so this is nothing new. We’re 24 starts in already. In fact, some argue he’s only had ONE good game all season.
To be certain, Ben Johnson called a subpar game, but I mean, wth can he do to prevent THIS? This INT basically cost the Bears a win. Caleb made the mistake Tyler Huntley,a practice squader, did not.
And it begs the question:
Is Caleb a JAG?
Think about this long and hard. No doubt Caleb has all the physical tools needed to be a HOFer. “Generational.”
So did Smoking Jay Cutler, yet Cutler never became Aaron Rodgers despite possessing all the same physical gifts.
[IMO, Cutler was actually more athletic].
Halas just kept throwing Cutler out there, never even entertaining the option of benching him for his own good.
Here’s another way to ask the question.
Would you rather have Jordan Love? Daniel Jones? Jared Goff? How far down the QB list do you have to fall to prefer Caleb?
Caleb over.. Bo Nix, Jackson Dart, Michael Penix, Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones, CJ Stroud, JJ McCarthy?
One would have to get down to the the 7th circle of the QB inferno with the likes of Wentz, Flacco, Geno and Tua to make this an easy decision for Caleb.
[Even then I can see some Bear fans dreaming about Tyler Bagent, Cousins or even Flacco at this point]
Asking if you’d want Caleb over Drake Maye by now is laughable. Maye who also is in his sophomore season under a new system with arguably worse weapons and no offensive wunderkind HC.
You know, the QB that tightened Ryan Poles‘ chest and whom he laughed out of the draft room.
Sadly, this routine is nothing new for us Bear fans.
I remarked before how Caleb reminded me of Rex Grossman except Rex was bad/good for entire games.
Caleb fluctuates between awful/great seemingly play to play.
There’s the rub. Can’t possibly rely on that to win consistently. Couldn’t do it with Rex. Couldn’t do it with Cutler. Won’t be able to with Caleb if he can’t improve.
Counting on 3+TOs a game is not realistic as we found out quickly vs Ravens.
It’s almost better to go with a ‘game manager‘ like Orton, Foles or Josh McCown, but Poles didn’t draft Caleb to be Andy Dalton, so here we are.
Before I get accused of over-reacting, compared to the Twitterverse, I’m being stoic. Even our old friend Jeff Hughes who advocated to start both Trubisky and Fields day 1 is expressing doubts.
Kap, “[Caleb] is playing ok, fine, mediocre, but not like a #1 overall” – I.E. a JAG
The only real question left: what is the best way to rescue Caleb from devolving into a permanent JAG?
Is it for him to sit or play through it?
Maybe Bears can make up some BS ‘groin’ INJ to lowkey bench Caleb.
OTOH, perhaps BJ just keeps sending him up like Viper with Maverick in “Top Gun”.
Either way, SOMETHING has to change else us Bear fans will be suffering through yet another era of mediocre-hair-pulling-jersey burning QBing with similar results:
Bears’ suckage.
Overtime:
This isn’t ALL on Caleb. Ben Johnson also has to clean up many mistakes, especially the penalties.