Silvy: Stop panicking, Bears fans, this is what development looks like
Stop panicking.
Sure, I’m the same guy who wakes up worrying about our Chicago sports teams daily. And yes, I’m the one who tells you to fan how you want to fan but …
Stop panicking!
There is nothing from the first week of Caleb Williams’ training camp to be concerned about.
You’ve probably seen/heard/read by now that the start of Bears camp isn’t exactly the Caleb show.
There have been very few oooohs and ahhhhs coming from the Halas Hall crowd.
Big plays? Not here. Not yet.
What does it mean? Not a darn thing.
What we’re seeing for the first time in Bears history is a coaching staff trying to develop a quarterback the correct way.
I’ll quote many of you as we’ve given the Bears credit for their offseason moves, “Let’s see it when it matters.”
So I don’t need to see it now, I need to see it this season and for many years to come. This is still July football.
This is when the development is supposed to happen. Quite frankly, most of us don’t know what true quarterback development looks like. It’s never happened in this town.
Many great offensive coaches have preached that a young quarterback needs to be torn down before being built up. Ben Johnson and his staff are in the middle of this process, and it shows.
Do you really believe every Bears QB acquisition was a bad move, or did the organization also not have the right coaches on their staff to bring the best out of him? I choose the latter.
This reminds me of the critics yelling at Theo Epstein in the first few years in Chicago. Fans were upset the Cubs weren’t close to being competitive. The issue was, many Cubs fans didn’t understand what a true, successful rebuild looked like in the early stages. It had never been done on the northside.
Just like Theo, Johnson could patchwork an offense that hides Caleb’s weaknesses, and it would look better in these early stages — Williams could be a pretty good QB that way. The Bears have done that with Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields in past years.
But Johnson is trying to develop a star quarterback, and that means attacking those weaknesses and not hiding them. We’re finally seeing a true process with the quarterback.
In Jared Goff’s first season with the Lions, before Johnson was the offensive coordinator, he threw for a pedestrian 3,245 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Once Johnson started running the show the following season, Goff threw for 4,438 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Johnson has been there and done that; we haven’t. The Bears finally hired a true offensive genius. Let the process play out. While Williams was the first overall pick with uber talent, he needed developing last year, and the Bears failed. Now, this is Caleb’s rookie year, part 2.
I get it. How do you tell Bears fans to be patient when they’re already one of the most patient and loyal fan bases around? We want that star quarterback, and we want it now.
Another good example of this process was overheard from Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar as he was walking off the field on Tuesday. A few fans asked him who is going to win the left tackle position. Roushar explained that it’s too early to tell, and their play has been up and down. He then assured the fans that they will be coached hard and promised they will be ready for the regular season with a good left tackle.
Another one of my favorite catchphrases for fans is, “never accept mediocrity.” The Bears have been mediocre for years and are finally trying to build it the right way. So ….
Stop panicking.
At least for now.
Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.