Column: Chicago Bears players provided comments to Shane Waldron after the offense's rough start. Is this just more chatter?

Understanding that Caleb Williams’ development is at or near the top of Shane Waldron’s job description, the Chicago Bears can share optimism that the rookie quarterback has improved each of the last two weeks.

Williams’ completion percentage, yards and yards per attempt have increased in the two losses since the season-opening win over the Tennessee Titans, and he’s coming off a 363-yard effort against the Colts Sunday in Indianapolis that included two touchdown passes.

Williams seems to be gradually improving, and while it will never be a linear progression, he already looks more comfortable than any Bears rookie quarterback in a long time.

“There’s a lot of new stuff, as we all know,” Williams said. “The wide receivers, the running backs, the quarterback, the offensive linemen and all those different parts. We constantly have the mindset of encouragement, but also the positivity that we see in the film itself – if you actually watch it and don’t immerse yourself in all the emotions of the game.

“Yes, we need to move things forward a little more efficiently than we are now. But the growth and the positivity that we have in the film that we’ve seen and things like that over these last few weeks (is encouraging).

However, the overall picture of the offense is unclear – to put it kindly. Waldron’s unit struggled to establish any sort of identity. The offense was particularly bad in a few areas and didn’t score enough. It’s a familiar film and without improvements it will deliver a familiar ending.

The Bears have three offensive touchdowns, putting them tied for last in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to score in the first quarter this season. The Bears and their Sunday opponent at Soldier Field, the Los Angeles Rams, are second-worst with three points each.

Asked if he uses a game script to start games, Waldron called it “a plan” during a quick 15-minute press conference Thursday morning. It’s worth noting that the Bears are No. 2 in the league with 30 points in the fourth quarter.

After a poor performance in the 21-16 loss to the Colts, Waldron opened with a statement praising the team’s leadership group for its solutions orientation. Interestingly, one player said Waldron was more engaged in seeking player feedback this week. If you’ve heard a coach or player talk about communication since Monday, you’ve heard it 100 times.

Veteran Marcedes Lewis is one of the players credited by Waldron, along with fellow player Cole Kmet, Williams and wide receiver DJ Moore.

“Don’t think he can’t point guys out,” Lewis, 40, recalled telling Waldron. “From the oldest guy in the room – which is me – to the youngest. Don’t feel like you can’t coach us. I want to be coached. I want to be great. It’s not for playing. It’s our job. We understand that. It’s a very stressful, production-based job, and we all have to do the same things or everyone gets fired. The ego is supposed to be left at the door.

“He’s very receptive to that. I think, obviously, coming in, we have a group of guys. Not just the guys on the team or on this offense. We have guys – guys who have done it at a high level. Sometimes when the coach comes, you’re walking on eggshells. I just kind of put it aside. No one is sensitive here. We want to win games just as much as you do. It’s a collaborative effort. It’s not Pop Warner.

To be fair, Williams probably needed to look like a two-time Pro Bowl selection right off the bat to live up to some of the bold expectations placed on this offense. People dared to dream – and dream big – when the Bears selected him with the No. 1 pick in the draft, the most decorated quarterback to join the franchise in decades and the biggest sign of hope in perhaps never enter Halas Hall.

As might be expected, Williams encountered challenges that make the position difficult for beginners to handle, including myriad pressures and mixing in coverages with the intent to deceive him or delay his reaction.

All of this was expected, but the cast of players surrounding Williams, perhaps as good or better than almost any rookie starter has discovered in the last ten or twenty years, was supposed to make the transition easier. The Bears invested heavily on offense in the offseason, trading for wide receiver Keenan Allen, who missed the last two games with plantar fasciitis, selecting wide receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick and signing the running back running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Gerald. Everett hit free agency to join a cast that already included Moore, Kmet and a functional collection of running backs.

The early results – and many football holdovers – were discouraging.

Pass protection remains an issue. Williams has been sacked 13 times, the same number as Justin Fields in three games a year ago. Only the Cleveland Browns (16) and Tennessee Titans (15) gave up more. The line was supposed to look better with a quarterback capable of playing within the structure of the system a greater percentage of the time. In other words, this is not the case.
The running game was a disaster. The failed goal-line sequence in the second quarter Sunday — when the Bears started with first-and-goal from the 4-yard line — is symbolic of what went wrong. Bad execution. Bad design – there is no other way to describe a play in which wide receiver DeAndre Carter is asked to block a defensive end. Waldron admitted as much when asked specifically about it. Bad decisions in both the speed option on fourth-and-one and the inability to exit the play.

The Bears are 31st in rushing offense, averaging 72.7 yards per game, and 31st in yards per attempt with a measly 3.03. The Las Vegas Raiders are the only team worse in both categories. The rushing attack was expected to be hit by the departure of Fields, whose ability to threaten defenses has inflated rushing production over the past two seasons, but this was not expected. be as serious.

The first attempt was not profitable. The offense ranks 29th in the league, averaging 4.26 yards first and 10th. So they don’t find themselves in desirable second-and-short situations with much consistency, and when they play behind the sticks, it’s tough sledding. According to @SharpFootball, 64% of the Bears’ first downs reach third down, the highest percentage in the league. The NFL average is 47% and only three teams exceed 57%. All of this makes it easier for opposing defensive coordinators to make calls on second and third downs.
Explosive plays were rare. The Bears have five runs of 10 yards or more. Three were the result of Williams’ scrambles, and Moore had a 14-yard gain on a jet sweep. The only explosive run by a running back was Swift’s 20-yard run in the Week 1 win over the Titans. The Bears had just four passes of 20 yards or more — three to Odunze and the 44-yard Hail Mary to Moore last week that was 1 yard from the goal line before halftime.

Former Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera used to say, “Numbers lie and liars figure,” but you really have to spend time analyzing the numbers to paint a pretty picture of the offense in his together. Again, it’s only been three games.

“I’m not going to live in the past but I’m going to learn from it,” Waldron said. “I’m going to move forward. And I believe in it. I’m not going to flinch or blink at any of these things. I’m looking forward to a resolution to everything we’ve been through and looking forward to the next game.

The offensive coordinator taking heat even at this early stage is not surprising. The caller can become the target of anger faster than you can say “three Mississippi.” Waldron is the franchise’s 13th coordinator in 26 seasons, and things have changed so quickly for his predecessor Luke Getsy that in about two months he went from being the guy fans feared was so hot he would quickly leave for becoming head coach after the Bears averaged 29.6. points in five games to whoever was responsible for the offense’s ineptitude.

Waldron stands in front of the players to express where he needs to be better. He is responsible to his players and listens to them. It was a tough outing overall against a Colts defense that otherwise didn’t play well.

It looks like there are areas for improvement – although it was a good scenario at this time a week ago. The next four opponents were as bad defensively as some of the areas where the Bears struggled offensively.

Sunday: Rams 32nd in yards allowed, 31st in scores
October 6: Panthers 24, 32
October 13: Jaguars on 26, 28
October 27, Commanders 29, 29

Something has to give, right?

“He stands there and lists the plays he could have called the best,” Lewis said. “He puts it on the board. We all see it. And I think that’s the best way to do it. I mean, we’re not kids, are we? We respect that. Because everything is evaluated, especially from the player’s point of view.

“We know we are evaluated for everything we do on the field. So when a coach throws himself into that pot of gumbo, then we’re all invested, we all have a little skin in the game. He does that and greatly appreciates it.

We’ll see if all communication is a means to improvement – or just more discussion.