Why the Bears believe Caleb Williams is ‘suited’ to thrive in the ‘Hard Knocks’ spotlight originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears are the flavor of the NFL offseason, and their reward will be a training camp with NFL Films’ TV show, “Hard Knocks.”
Being on “Hard Knocks” is something Bears ownership has long opposed, and there is no doubt that general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus would prefer the cameras not fall on Halas Hall this summer as they work to prepare rookie quarterback Caleb Williams for his NFL debut season.
But the Bears didn’t have access to any of the “Hard Knocks” trapdoors — they didn’t make the playoffs last season and don’t have a first-year head coach — so the NFL classified them as the training camp team for the popular show. .
Increased attention could be an unnecessary distraction for a young quarterback working to start his career.
But Williams isn’t just any rookie quarterback, and coach Matt Eberflus believes the No. 1 overall pick will thrive in the spotlight. After all, Williams has had his eye on him for years.
“Yes. Yes. Really,” Eberflus said Friday after the Bears’ sixth OTA practice when asked about Williams being able to handle the extra attention. “That’s a really good point, and I think he’s suited for this because he’s comfortable with himself, he knows who he is. Again, he’s been there for several years in terms of the media, the focus, the Heisman Winner, all these things he’s done and he’s going to be good.
Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds sees “Hard Knocks”, the Bears’ visit to Londonand their participation in the Hall of Fame Game as proof positive that they are on the right path.
“It shows we have something going on here,” Edmunds said. “Everybody wants to see what’s going on and just be yourself, not doing too much, just showing up to work and showing the world what we do here. The top-notch execution that we have.”
The Bears are getting the NFL’s offseason shine treatment. Inside Halas Hall, it is believed that Williams and his teammates will be able to handle the excess noise and be fully operational when the Tennessee Titans arrive at Soldier Field to start the season.
