QB1 + TE1? Caleb Williams has faith in Loveland’s abilities

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 4 hours ago

CHICAGO - Quarterback is unquestionably the most demanding position in football. A quarterback must know the plays, everyone’s responsibility on every play and being the leader of the team.

This is a lot for a rookie, and even though Caleb Williams is technically going into his second season, there is still a lot he needs to learn, starting with learning head coach Ben Johnson’s playbook.

“They’ve installed a lot in OTAs, now, and they’re just seeing how much I can retain and I take pride in trying to retain it all, every single detail we have, and I think that’s where I’ve been growing so far since Ben’s been here is retaining all that information,” Williams said. “All of it makes sense to me and being able to go out there and execute.”

Being a leader is something that has been a focal point for Williams this offseason.

Even though it is only training camp, there are a lot of opportunities for him to hype up his team when they need it and work on his vocal leadership skills.

“I’ve played a year and like I said last year, last year was more of a learn how everything goes, learn how the NFL is and things like that and this year for me was trying to take a step up in my leadership role and pushing the guys and part of it is going out there and being right and doing everything right, getting the play calls in fast, being out there, being confident, knowing what I’m doing,” Williams said.

“And then, the other half of it is when things are messing up, let’s re-huddle," Williams said. "Let’s get up. Come on, let’s get this thing going. In two-minute, encouraging the guys. It’s the fourth quarter. I know we’re in practice. It’s a hot day. It’s (the) fourth quarter in the game, it’s time to go win. So, let’s go win this game. So, it’s small things like that - the encouragement, the belief in ourselves, the belief in our hard work that we’re putting in. And then other than that, it’s going out there and having fun and showing it.”

During the offseason, general manager Ryan Poles made numerous acquisitions to help Williams succeed, including offensive linemen Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson via trades, as well as tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III, and offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo via the draft.

Loveland missed out on OTAs and rookie minicamp because he was recovering from an injury. However, he has finally been able to practice and show off his high football IQ.

There was even one particular play where Williams said Loveland bailed him out of a bad throw.

“He’s been great. He’s a smart cat. We’ve hung out a few times. We actually just, him and a couple other teammates, we went down to the city on our off-day and had dinner. So, we’re hanging out, building that bond, building that trust and on the field-wise, he’s smart. He knows what he’s doing. He’s a young cat, so there’s going to be a few mistakes and maybe hand placement. But, when the ball goes up, I got faith in him,” Williams said. “The other day I actually threw a ball down the middle to him and the ball kind of slipped out my hand, was a little sweaty, and I kind of raised up (because) I knew the ball was slipping out of my hand after and he went up and grabbed it and came down with it and it was a big catch and things like that provide trust, faith and belief that whenever that ball goes up in the air, it’s his and so, other than that, it’s just building a connection, routes and things like that. Kind of figuring out how he moves and other things. So, when we get out there on the field on Sundays, Thursdays and Mondays, we’re out there rolling.”

It is unclear if any of the starters will play in the preseason this year. However, given the new installation of Ben Johnson’s offense, it is possible some of the starters, including Williams and Loveland, may get some action before their first regular season game on Mon. Sept. 8 (7:15 p.m. / ABC) against the Minnesota Vikings.