A familiar formula

The Bears aren't supposed to have to win this way now, but they still can

A familiar formula

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If you were at yesterday’s Bears season opener and on your way out of the parking lot you heard a thump with your car, it was probably just you running over Bears center Coleman Shelton. Everybody else did.

As it turns out, Caleb Williams’ Bears debut start went the way of most Bears quarterback debuts. He threw for fewer yards than Mitch Trubisky (128 to 93), but more than Justin Fields (68), he was sacked more than Mitch (two to one) but a few times less than Justin (NINE!), but he didn’t turn the ball over (Mitch threw a pick and Justin fumbled), and unlike either of his predecessors the Bears won the game.

Caleb was actually less terrible in his first start than either Mitch or Fields, but a combination of passes batted down (some fortuitously), drops and misses, he struggled nonetheless. The Bears struggled to do much of anything on offense, which is not something we are unfamiliar with.

It’s just not uncommon for hot shot rookies to struggle in their debuts. Williams is now one of just four number one overall pick quarterbacks to start the opener as a rookie and actually win. He joins Jim Plunkett (Patriots), John Elway (Broncos) and David Carr (Texans.) And it’s not a small sample. The overall record of those quarterbacks is now 4-22-1. And very few of them, win or lose, played well at all.

Elway is by far the most accomplished of the winners and his stat line was pretty terrible. Elway completed one of his eight pass attempts for 14 yards, was sacked four times and was benched for Steve DeBerg as the Broncos beat the Steelers in a barn burner 13-10. Plunkett completed six passes in his win. Carr was just 10-22 and was sacked six times (he’d get sacked SEVENTY more times that season.)

One guy who put up good numbers was Peyton Manning. He was 21 of 37 for 302 yards and a touchdown…and three interceptions.

The lesson of course is that this shit is hard. And the only way to learn how to do it is to do it.