Caleb Williams is frustrated with the Bears’ offense, and also with himself.
The team’s bumbling attack — the Bears averaged nine points over the past three games — led to coordinator Shane Waldron being fired Tuesday and replaced by pass game coordinator Thomas Brown.
Williams’ individual performance during those three games, though, has become the most concerning part about a season that somehow went on tilt before the park district turned off the water at Buckingham Fountain.
In the past three games, Williams has a 64.7 passer rating, the worst among quarterbacks with at least two starts. He’s been sacked a league-high 18 times. His 4.9 yards per pass is the fewest of anyone with more than one start during that time.
“It’s frustrating,” Williams said Wednesday. “Obviously there are passes that you miss and are going to miss throughout your career that you’ll want back or that you want to make. That’s why you work hard at it in practice and throughout the weeks.”
This season, he’s thrown an inaccurate pass 24.4% of the time, per Pro Football Reference’s bad-ball percentage metric. That’s the second worst out of 34 qualifying quarterbacks. Only 68.1% of his throws are considered on-target, which ranks 32nd.
Those numbers are jarring for a quarterback whose accuracy was rarely questioned when he starred at USC.
“I think I’ve done well protecting the football, not turning it over,” he said. “But I think getting on a better page with the guys throughout the week of practice, talking about routes even if we don’t get maybe the [defensive] look we’re going to talk about and discuss, sideline or after practice or anything like that. At least hearing it so when it happens in game, I’m able to rip it and throw it.”
Coach Matt Eberflus said Williams will continue to start. Asked if he graded out as starter-caliber in recent weeks, he demurred.
“The offense has struggled the last three weeks — we all can see that,” he said. “When that happens, obviously at any position no one’s playing at the level they need to play at. …
“He needs reps. All rookie quarterbacks need reps. They need exposure, experience to get better. And that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Williams distanced himself from the Waldron firing.
“I don’t get to choose the decision, nor do I get to choose whether the decision is good, bad or indifferent,” Williams said. “My job is to listen.”
To that end, Brown met with Williams on Tuesday and “talked about what he can fix and be better for our offense,” the coordinator said.
“Quarterback’s the most difficult position, so we gotta be better all around him,” Brown said. “But it also starts with how we coach it, being more detailed, being more demanding with just him, but also with the entire staff.”
The Bears hope Brown can tweak the offense to their liking. Williams, though, needs to get better at the basics.
“The talent isn’t the question,” receiver Keenan Allen said. “It’s more of mastering the game plan — understanding what the play is, where the play is and being able to do it without thinking about it. And letting your talent show.”
The key, Allen said: “Just being able to take your profits.”
Williams thinks Brown will help him do just that by blending run and pass plays in a way Waldron ultimately couldn’t.
“I think we’ll do a good job of marrying everything up together, making everything look the same,” Williams said. “And then from there, you’ll get a few easier passes, a few extra layups.”
Williams needs them — and quick.
“The guy you’ve been trying to get on the same page with isn’t here anymore,” he said of Waldron. “So now you have to kind of adjust, and you have to adjust fast.”