What Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams said Wednesday about upcoming book revelations

LAKE FOREST – Bears quarterback Caleb Williams met with reporters Wednesday for the first time since an upcoming book revealed that Williams and his family had hesitations about being drafted by the Bears last year.

He addressed revelations in ESPN writer Seth Wickersham’s book “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” which is set to publish in September. Williams didn’t meet with reporters last week at the team’s first media availability during organized team activities.

The Bears and Williams now will try to move on from the story as they’re set to hold mandatory minicamp next week. Here are four of the most interesting things Williams said about the book.

On whether the comments were true

Williams didn’t hesitate addressing questions that he knew were coming. He started Wednesday’s news conference with a four-minute opening statement.

“We’re focused on the present, we’re focused on now, we’re focused on trying to get this ship moving in the right direction, and I think so far that’s what we’ve been doing,” Williams said. “But for this to come out, it’s been a distraction, so coming up here and talking about it and addressing it is important today, so that’s what we’re here to do.”

One of the major revelations in the book was that Williams and his family tried to find ways to avoid being drafted by the Bears. Williams’ father, Carl, was quoted saying “Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die.”

The family reportedly consulted lawyers to find a way around the NFL’s bargaining agreement and considered signing with the United Football League. They even considered publicly attacking the Bears and Chicago to force a trade.

On Wednesday, Williams said the revelations never happened in the sense that they were all thoughts. He admitted that there were concerns about the team’s history in developing quarterbacks. Williams also said he liked meeting with the Minnesota Vikings, which was his first visit.

But Williams pointed out that after he met with the Bears, he was determined to change the team’s quarterback fortunes around.

“I think if your son or daughter, anybody’s in this situation to be in that position I think you think about all of the options, and you look at the history and the facts and all of these different things,” Williams said. “Those are thoughts that go throughout your head in those situations. All of those are thoughts and then after I came on my visit here, it was a deliberate answer and deliberate and determined answer that I had is that I wanted to come here.”

On watching film

One of the most interesting revelations about the team’s former coaching staff came in a detail about watching film. Williams was quoted saying, “No one tells me what to watch. I just turn it on.”

On Wednesday, Williams clarified that he knows how to watch film. He just wanted to do it more effectively.

“It was trying to figure out the best ways and more efficient ways, so I can watch more film, I can gather more information ... so when get out there I can gather it, I see it, I can react and it’s not me sitting there thinking so much about the rules and these different things,” Williams said. “It’s more of a reaction game at that point, and muscle memory.”

New Bears head coach Ben Johnson has given Williams clarity in that regard. Williams said Johnson is “extremely detailed” in everything that he does, including watching film. Johnson breaks down everything he loves and doesn’t love so his quarterback knows what he needs to do.

Williams was excited to get to work and get to the same level in detail when it comes to the offense.

“It’s going to be nice for something that we’ve been repping and getting after, and I think that’s been one of the things that’s been really awesome, is the detail and him being on top of that, and he’s been in it for six years,” Williams said. “He’s been in this offense for six years. He’s really been on top of it, and we’re really only trying to catch up. I’m only trying to catch up to him and be on top of the details as much as possible.”

On his father

Williams credited his father for being smart and having good ideas. But Williams also said he knew how to shut things down when he felt they went too far.

“I shut him down quite a lot just because in season and out of season, it’s something you have to do,” Williams said. “He cares so much about me and my future, and we have been along this journey so long together, all he wants is the best for me. So if anything happens and he’s super hot-headed and it’s more of like, ‘All right, go ahead and go away. Go reset.’”

Carl Williams reportedly was the one who looked at different avenues for his son to avoid going to the Bears. Carl was quoted in the book saying that he thought the rookie cap “was unconstitutional.” He also talked to Archie Manning about his experience with his son Eli, who forced his way to the New York Giants.

While Williams called both of his parents his best friends, he told reporters that he was his own person.

“Love him to death and things like that, super fortunate to have him,” Williams said. “We have talked about it. Understanding that there’s a right place and a right time and there are times that there is not.”

On his rookie season and moving forward

In Wickersham’s book, Williams was quoted wondering whether he could “do it” with former Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Waldron and former head coach Matt Eberflus were fired last year, the first time the Bears had fired a head coach during a season.

On Wednesday, Williams said he didn’t see the Bears’ troubles coming during a 5-12 season.

“It wasn’t at a point where I looked at it and was like I knew this would happen,” Williams said. “Nobody I think would sit back and, especially after you go 4-2 in the first six weeks, you don’t sit back and wonder and ponder on the bad. You face it when the bad comes, and that’s what we did.”

Williams felt there was a lot he could take from his rookie season despite the up-and-down year. He broke the Bears’ rookie single-season passing record with 3,541 yards and set an NFL rookie record for consecutive passes thrown without an interception. The Bears also allowed Williams to be sacked a team-record 68 times.

Williams believed deciphering between the ups and downs from last season would set up for success in his second year.

“You’ve got to look at those things and you’ve got to understand that all the good, all the bad and all the indifferent is going to be good for me in many years to come,” Williams said. “I think that’s how I look at it. I still have all the confidence in myself. I think my teammates believe in me. I think that’s shown on game day, and I think how much I love and care for those guys and want to go win, I think it shows up on game day.”