Caleb Williams admits Bears were 'annoyed by' Matt Eberflus' handling of Hail Mary game
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
34 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
With no players left from last season's team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears. Only four of those players exhausted their college eligibility. Nine others left in the transfer portal and one-and-done guard VJ Edgecombe could become Baylor's highest pick ever in the NBA draft later this month. 'Guys you didn't want to lose and were valuable, we haven't had many that we've lost. Whenever you do, that just tears at a coach, because you feel like you didn't do your job,' Drew said this week. 'With the portal, I think we've all gotten used to a lot more turnover in a hurry, and not to take things necessarily personal." The Bears rebuilt their roster with eight transfers and a four-player signing class with a five-star prospect and the son of a NBA champion. Among the 14 players at the first practice was Cameron Carr, the former Tennessee guard who transferred to Baylor in the middle of last season long after that team photo session. One of the former Bears was guard Robert Wright, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists a game as a freshman last season and had reportedly agreed to a lucrative NIL deal to stay before transferring to BYU for an even bigger package. 'You know people are going to leave. Rob, obviously, was someone we had an agreement with. When you make an agreement, you think you're done,' Drew said, without getting into any specifics. 'Obviously that was a surprise to us, but again, the staff did a great job of putting together a roster and team. That's part of, hopefully, the House settlement, where you get to a point where you know who's on your team and when they're locked in, they're locked in." The eight incoming transfers have more than 500 of games played combined, including guards Dan Skillings, who played 100 games over three years for Cincinnati, and JJ White, who started 75 of 99 games at Omaha over the same period. Juslin Bodo Bodo is a 7-foot post from Cameroon, started all 71 of his games for NCAA Tournament team High Point the past two seasons. Obi Agbim, a 6-3 guard, was the Mountain West newcomer of the year after averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists in 29 games last season for Wyoming. Five-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou, a small forward from St. Joseph High School in California, leads the signing class that also includes Andre Iguodala II, whose father was a four-time champion over 19 NBA seasons with four teams; Italian forward Maikcol Perez and big man May Soyoye. Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston are the only teams to win at least one game in each of the past six NCAA Tournaments, though the Bears have lost in the second round the past four years since their national championship in 2021. Drew and his staff will get an early look at the new squad with Baylor representing the United States at the World University Games next month in Germany. 'Any year you get a foreign tour, it's huge. ... Since we're returning 0.0 (percent of our) scoring, this give us all an opportunity,' Drew said. 'The games will be good for those that can play in it. But the practices will be great for everyone. And then, the one thing everybody leaves out is you do these team-bonding activities. There's nothing better than being overseas, that really brings you together a lot more than when you have all the distractions you do in the United States.'
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
With no players left from last season's team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
Associated Press WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears. Only four of those players exhausted their college eligibility. Nine others left in the transfer portal and one-and-done guard VJ Edgecombe could become Baylor's highest pick ever in the NBA draft later this month. 'Guys you didn't want to lose and were valuable, we haven't had many that we've lost. Whenever you do, that just tears at a coach, because you feel like you didn't do your job,' Drew said this week. 'With the portal, I think we've all gotten used to a lot more turnover in a hurry, and not to take things necessarily personal." The Bears rebuilt their roster with eight transfers and a four-player signing class with a five-star prospect and the son of a NBA champion. Among the 14 players at the first practice was Cameron Carr, the former Tennessee guard who transferred to Baylor in the middle of last season long after that team photo session. One of the former Bears was guard Robert Wright, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists a game as a freshman last season and had reportedly agreed to a lucrative NIL deal to stay before transferring to BYU for an even bigger package. 'You know people are going to leave. Rob, obviously, was someone we had an agreement with. When you make an agreement, you think you're done,' Drew said, without getting into any specifics. 'Obviously that was a surprise to us, but again, the staff did a great job of putting together a roster and team. That's part of, hopefully, the House settlement, where you get to a point where you know who's on your team and when they're locked in, they're locked in." The eight incoming transfers have more than 500 of games played combined, including guards Dan Skillings, who played 100 games over three years for Cincinnati, and JJ White, who started 75 of 99 games at Omaha over the same period. Juslin Bodo Bodo is a 7-foot post from Cameroon, started all 71 of his games for NCAA Tournament team High Point the past two seasons. Obi Agbim, a 6-3 guard, was the Mountain West newcomer of the year after averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists in 29 games last season for Wyoming. Five-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou, a small forward from St. Joseph High School in California, leads the signing class that also includes Andre Iguodala II, whose father was a four-time champion over 19 NBA seasons with four teams; Italian forward Maikcol Perez and big man May Soyoye. Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston are the only teams to win at least one game in each of the past six NCAA Tournaments, though the Bears have lost in the second round the past four years since their national championship in 2021. Drew and his staff will get an early look at the new squad with Baylor representing the United States at the World University Games next month in Germany. 'Any year you get a foreign tour, it's huge. ... Since we're returning 0.0 (percent of our) scoring, this give us all an opportunity,' Drew said. 'The games will be good for those that can play in it. But the practices will be great for everyone. And then, the one thing everybody leaves out is you do these team-bonding activities. There's nothing better than being overseas, that really brings you together a lot more than when you have all the distractions you do in the United States.' ___ AP college basketball: recommended in this topic
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
With no players left from last season's team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
WACO, Texas — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears.
