Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are worried that Caleb Williams is being ‘ruined’ by the Chicago Bears.
The rookie quarterback struggled in a 6-3 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night (December 26) and was picked off on the final play of the game.
In a last-ditch effort to force overtime, Williams faced an all-out blitz from Seattle on fourth-and-10 from the 40-yard-line.
The No.1 overall pick tried to hit DJ Moore deep, but was caught as he released the ball, which flew short of his target and was intercepted by Tariq Woolen.
Williams finished 16 of 28 for 122 yards and an interception, and was sacked seven times.
He took responsibility for the poor performance after the game.
“I didn’t play well enough. I didn’t help put the team in a good position to win, a better position to win, and that’s what it is,” he said.
“There were miscues. There were stupid sacks that I was taking, losing 10, 14 yards, which is frustrating.
“But I will say that I will definitely take the heat for this one just because some of the situations that I put us in, like I said, that sack that I took that I didn’t need to take.”
While Williams took responsibility for a poor performance, in reality, the Bears offense was a mess all night.
Chicago generated 179 total yards on offense and just 11 first downs against Seattle.
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And after another defeat, which leaves the Bears with a 4-12 record, NFL legends Sharpe and Johnson are worried about the progress Williams will make with the team, and pinpointed where the blame for the offensive struggles should lie.
“This game was not only terrible, it was a snoozefest,” Johnson began.
“On the part of the Bears offensive coordinator, he was not making any goddamn adjustments to what the Seahawks were doing for the entire game.
“They were blitzing. It’s a numbers game. Make the adjustment to give Caleb Williams the time to throw the ball. He was running for his life. They had seven sacks.
“It’s malpractice what they are doing to him offensively. He’s like a deer in headlights. He has no time to be composed, he’s always on the run and they confuse him the entire night.”
Johnson, clearly irate, believes the issue lies with those calling plays, rather than the QB himself.
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That’s a view that Sharpe agrees with, and he went on to urge the Bears to get some help from a creative mind who can stop them from wasting Williams’ talent.
“You’ve got to get the ball out of his hands,” Sharpe said.
“He’s a rookie, he’s going to get better, but he’s not going to get better in this system.
“It’s going to be very interesting who they hire and the offensive coordinator that they get to cultivate Caleb Williams.
“Don’t mess this up. You haven’t had good quarterbacks in a long, long time.
“If they mess this up, they’re going to be kicking themselves.”
‘Ochocinco’ then made a direct appeal to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, urging him to save the Bears and Williams.
He said: “I think about the coaches out there – Pete Carroll’s name is in it – but from a creativity standpoint, understanding how special Caleb Williams is… Ben Johnson.
“I know you’re going to see this clip. Ben, if you have the opportunity – please save that franchise. Please save Caleb Williams.
“You are one of the few offensive coordinators who is similar to Andy Reid that has the creative prowess that can get (Williams) to his full potential and turn that franchise around.”
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Once again, Shape agreed with Johnson’s suggestion, adding that Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could be another option.
“You need a creative mind, someone that can come up with a scheme that is going to maximise what these guys do,” he concluded.
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