Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has taken an NFL-high 67 sacks this season, and he knows he needs to get better at recognizing when the pass rush is coming and getting rid of the ball quickly.
Despite a narrative coming out of Chicago that Williams’ sacks are the result of a bad offensive line, Williams said he deserves a lot of the blame, too.
“The stupid connotation behind my offense line being bad is not the truth. I’ve taken a good amount of sacks that have been my fault,” Williams said.
Williams said he hates seeing his offensive linemen take blame for mistakes he makes because he knows how hard his teammates are working to protect him.
“The connotation behind my offensive line has been annoying and frustrating because they work their tail off to be able to go out there,” Williams said. “The negative connotation behind them, they come in and work their butt off each day, each week. I’ve taken sacks, yes. And a good amount have been on me, whether it’s small things of getting the ball out of my hands and maybe dirting it, not trying to find the perfect route, perfect play, maybe it’s just throwing it out of bounds, dirting it, finding the checkdown faster. And the other one is not trying to make plays all the time.”
Williams is right that sacks are more a reflection of the quarterback than the offensive line. And he’s right about how to be a leader, one who’s more interested in looking inward at what he can improve than in blaming others.
