logo
Caleb Williams admits Bears were 'annoyed by' Matt Eberflus' handling of Hail Mary game

Caleb Williams admits Bears were 'annoyed by' Matt Eberflus' handling of Hail Mary game

Yahoo14-04-2025

The Chicago Bears going into a tailspin following their Hail Mary failure vs. the Washington Commanders made for a convenient narrative last season. Turns out, there may have been some truth to that story.
Caleb Williams — in an interview with Esquire — admitted the team was "annoyed by" the way former Bears coach Matt Eberflus handled the situation, per the Chicago Sun-Times.
"How [Eberflus] handled it at that time, for that game, was, I think, one of the things that throughout the locker room people talked about and were annoyed by," Williams told the magazine.
Advertisement
The Bears appeared to be on the verge of improving to 5-2 before disaster struck. With Chicago leading 15-12, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders needed a miracle to pull off a comeback. With six seconds left, Daniels completed a 13-yard pass to Terry McLaurin to put the Commanders in Hail Mary territory. On the play's final game, Daniels completed his pass to Noah Brown after it was tipped by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. The Bears lost the contest 18-15, and then lost their next nine games.
Eberflus faced a myriad of questions after the loss. Why did the Bears sit back and allow McLaurin to pick up an easy catch? Why did the team allow Daniels to scramble around on the final play? What happened with Stevenson? Eberflus defended the team's actions, saying that particular play was practiced "100 times."
Video later emerged showing Stevenson taunting Commanders fans at the beginning of the play, which caused him to be out of position when he tipped the Hail Mary into Brown's arms. Stevenson apologized for his actions. The cornerback did not start the following week as part of his punishment.
Bears players had plenty more to be annoyed about as the season went on, including a botched end of game sequence on Thanksgiving. With the Bears in field-goal range down three points, the team failed to get a final play off before the clock expired. Some Bears questioned that decision publicly. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson was reportedly furious after the game and let Eberflus hear about it in the locker room.
Advertisement
Eberflus defended how things played out on the field and preached resiliency to the players after the game. He was fired the next day.
Caleb Williams shed tears after rookie season ended
Williams also admitted he cried after a tough rookie season, per Esquire. Williams said he was drained "mentally, physically [and] spiritually" after the team's struggles. When he got home after the year was over, Williams got into his bed and "dropped a few tears."
It was a mixed bag for Williams during his rookie season. While his numbers — 20 touchdowns to 6 interceptions — look solid, he struggled to make quick decisions. Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times. While the offensive line was responsible for some of those plays, Williams came under fire for holding the ball too long.
Advertisement
Things could be better in Year 2. Williams said he experienced plenty of "growth" as a result of the team's struggles. To ensure that growth is realized, the Bears hired offensive guru Ben Johnson to replace Eberflus.
Johnson might be a first-year coach, but he comes with immense expectations. While he may not live up to all of those immediately, if he's even marginally better at late-game management, Bears players and fans should have a lot less to be annoyed about.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former Cowboys HC shows up at Commanders' first day of minicamp
Former Cowboys HC shows up at Commanders' first day of minicamp

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Former Cowboys HC shows up at Commanders' first day of minicamp

Former Cowboys HC shows up at Commanders' first day of minicamp Mini-camp, Day 1. That's Jason Garrett in blue. — Ben Standig (@BenStandig) June 10, 2025 The Cowboys weren't the only NFC East team to kick off their minicamp on Tuesday. The division rival Commanders also opened up the mandatory portion of their offseason program, and they hosted a very familiar face as one of their Day 1 guests. Former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was in attendance in Ashburn, Va., at the invitation of current Washington head coach Dan Quinn. It's the second straight year that Quinn has welcomed Garrett to town during minicamp, according to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. Quinn "gets the benefit of veteran coaching perspective to check his blind spots," she noted on X, "Garrett gets perspective for his NBC broadcasts. Win-win." Garrett is now over five years removed from his tenure as Cowboys coach, having posted a 87-70 mark in the regular season and playoffs combined in nine-plus seasons in Dallas. He had also been the team's offensive coordinator for four years and played quarterback in the silver and blue for eight more. Yes, his visit with Quinn on Tuesday was much more in keeping with his current job as an NBC analyst, but it still must have been strange for Commanders players to look over during their practice and see the longtime enemy standing there wearing Cowboys colors. Most Washington players, anyway. A few will remember him from their own time in Dallas; Garrett coached Commanders wide receivers Noah Brown and Michael Gallup for multiple seasons, as well as defensive end Dorance Armstrong. And Garrett was a Cowboys teammate of Washington's current linebackers coach, Ken Norton, Jr., for the 1993 season that ended with both men earning a Super Bowl ring. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!

WNBA Finals' Underwhelming Bonus Leaves Star Disappointed
WNBA Finals' Underwhelming Bonus Leaves Star Disappointed

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

WNBA Finals' Underwhelming Bonus Leaves Star Disappointed

WNBA Finals' Underwhelming Bonus Leaves Star Disappointed originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Business is booming like never before in the WNBA. Attendance around the league hit the 2.4 million mark in 2024, while more than 50 million viewers caught nationally-televised games as new stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese debuted. Advertisement Clark's Indiana Fever continue to rack up big numbers on TV in 2025, showing the 2024 momentum has not slowed. Last season ended with one of the most competitive -- and best-viewed -- Finals series in league history, as the New York Liberty held off the Minnesota Lynx in five games to secure their first-ever championship. However, WNBA salaries are not rising with the increased demand amid the league's surge in popularity. Though The W has expanded to 13 teams in 2025, no player in the league makes more than $250,000 per season, and frustration is growing with commissioner Cathy Engelbert ahead of possibly contentious collective bargaining negotiations. On her Twitch program "Studbudz," Lynx guard Courtney Williams on Monday revealed that she received a $3,000 bonus for making it to the WNBA Finals in 2024. In stark contrast, players on the losing side of this year's NBA Finals will split more than $3 million. Advertisement "Once our paychecks after the regular season and we're going to the playoffs, honestly, you're just playing for pride at that point," Williams said as she double-checked the $3,000 figure with Minnesota teammate Natisha Hiedeman. Williams, now in her 10th WNBA season, has followed the path of many other WNBA stars by playing overseas to earn extra cash and stay in shape during the league's offseason. Williams has spent offseasons in Israel and China, and she joined the 3-on-3 Unrivaled league last year -- which offered its players more than $220,000 in guaranteed salary. Williams' revelation about the Finals bonus adds to the players' growing list of action items amid CBA negotiations with the league. Related: Dallas Wings Receive Unfortunate Paige Bueckers News After Concussion Update This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

Terry McLaurin had been a full participant in the Washington Commanders voluntary offseason program, but that changed Wednesday when he was not present for the first time.
Terry McLaurin had been a full participant in the Washington Commanders voluntary offseason program, but that changed Wednesday when he was not present for the first time.

Yahoo

time4 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Terry McLaurin had been a full participant in the Washington Commanders voluntary offseason program, but that changed Wednesday when he was not present for the first time.

The Washington Commanders have made it clear they are in win-now mode, hoping to capitalize on the years of contention available through Jayden Daniels' rookie contract. They have been aggressive this offseason to lock in pieces that will keep them among the top teams in the NFC. A core that went to their first NFC Championship in decades has added Deebo Samuel, Laremy Tunsil and some enticing rookies to the lineup. Advertisement Washington has done the job of adding the external talent to make their team stronger. Now, they must apply this aggression to the other stars in-house. The Commanders and star receiver Terry McLaurin had started preliminary talks on a contract extension in March, per general manager Adam Peters. There has not been much to update on that front, until a major change on Wednesday. McLaurin was reportedly not present at the team's offseason programs for the first time, per FOX Sports' Jordan Shultz. As of now, the exact reason of his absence is not known though the matter of his extension are likely in play here. Phase 3 of the Commanders program gets started next week, so the details of the decision will not remain in the dark for long. If pertaining to his extension, it appears McLaurin, who enters the final year of his contract in 2025, is finally taking his stance to get things moving on the timeline. Advertisement McLaurin has proven one of the league's most consistent receivers, continuing the strong output from the ugly years before Daniels' arrival. He has totaled over 1,000 yards in the last five seasons, including a 1,096-yard tally from 2024 that included 82 catches and 13 touchdowns. His number in terms of his average salary will likely fall in the mid-to-high 30s. Ja'Marr Chase has the most expensive non-quarterback contract in the league currently at $40 million per year. Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb follow behind at $35 and $34 million respectively. Given his production, that could be a close estimate for the Commanders' No. 1. McLaurin has kept his head down and worked through some dark years for the Commanders. He remains central to their plans of having an elite offense around Daniels for years to come, so a deal is most likely on its way in the future. Advertisement For now though, the uncertainty around that contract is beginning to swell. Related: Bills Get Major Training Camp Announcement From Roger Goodell Related: Commanders Spotlight Gets Bigger After Major Announcement

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store