Former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told his side of the story in the development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in 2024. The new defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys was asked about film watching and the Bears during a recent appearance on The Doomsday Podcast.
Per an upcoming book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Williams’ camp claimed that the rookie quarterback had to build his own film study room to prepare to play opposing defenses because then-offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was not helpful in that department.
Wickersham’s report was a confirmation of Taylor Doll’s exposé in February.
Matt Ebferflus pushes back on the film study narrative
In answer to a question about Williams’ complaint about film watching during his time with the Bears, Eberflus made it crystal clear that every position, especially the quarterback position, had daily film sessions at Halas Hall during all of his years with Justin Fields and Williams.
“But back to your other question about the film watching and all that, I would say this, that in the development of the quarterback position, and really all positions, at my time at the Bears, we’ve always had daily coached film sessions,” Eberflus said on The Doomsday Podcast.
“That was out there through the entire year. So that’s what I observed and that’s where it was.”
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams claimed he wasn’t getting help
During his press conference in May to address the topics covered in Wickersham’s book, Williams explained what he meant by not having help in the film room.
While Williams said he understands how to watch film, he doubled down on his belief that the coaching staff did not guide him on what he needed to watch individually so he could better prepare for Sundays.
“That was a funny one that came out,” Williams said of the storyline about building his own film study. “It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film, it was more or less the sense of learning ways to watch film and be more efficient, learning ways to pick up things better. That was a funny one that came out, in context, and how I was trying to portray it, it didn’t get portrayed that way.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film, it was trying to figure out the best ways and more efficient ways so that I can watch more film, I can gather more information. So, that when I do go out there on gameday, that information I gathered through Monday, when we got back, all the way up to whatever day the gameday is… I see it.
“I can react and it’s not me sitting there thinking so much about the rules and these different things. It’s more of a reaction game at that point, a muscle memory.”
Williams and Eberflus aren’t going to see eye-to-eye on what happened or should have happened last season. The Bears decided to move on from Eberflus in-season for terrible in-game decision-making, proving his incompetence as a head coach.
Now it’s up to Williams to work with new head coach Ben Johnson and prove his competence in the league. Whether it was fair or not in the past, the film excuse won’t be there for Williams in 2025.
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