Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson call out Caleb Williams over his failure to take accountability

Caleb Williams blamed the Chicago Bears' Week 8 loss to the Commanders on former Head Coach Matt Eberflus.

Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson call out Caleb Williams over his failure to take accountability

Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson objected to Caleb Williams' statements on Matt Eberflus (Images via IMAGO)

The Chicago Bears entered the 2024-25 NFL season as one of the teams with a lot of hype riding around their prospects. The arrival of Caleb Williams sparked optimism within the franchise, but the reality could not have been farther from expectations. It was a different season, quarterback, and head coach, but the same outcome. The Bears finished at the bottom of the NFC North with a 5-12 record.

The franchise started with Matt Eberflus as the Head Coach and finished the year with Thomas Brown as the interim head coach. Out of all their losses during the regular season, the Week 8 defeat at the hands of the Washington Commanders remains the most painful in the minds of Caleb Williams and corner Tyrique Stevenson.

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It was an opportunity for the former to outduel his peer, Jayden Daniels; after all, they have been pitted against each other since the days leading up to the 2024 Draft. For Tyrique Stevenson, the loss was painful and embarrassing due to his infamous attempt to taunt the Commanders’ fanbase right before the home team scored a game-winning Hail Mary touchdown.

Now that Chicago has put its faith in the hands of a coach with a proven track record in Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams has not held back in pointing out Matt Eberflus’s flaws, which ruined his rookie season. In an interview with Esquire Magazine, Williams admitted to being frustrated with Eberflus’ handling of the locker room after the Week 8 loss.

Midway through the season, Matt Eberflus no longer held sway over his players. He was not respected, and his questionable clock management skills, paired with the offensive play calling, did not sit well with the players.

How (Matt Eberflus) handled it at that time for that game, was, I think, one of the things that throughout the locker room people talked about and they were annoyed by it.

Caleb Williams said

Despite Caleb Williams’ historic rookie season, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are disappointed with his attitude

This did not exactly sit well with respected NFL veterans Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. The Hall of Fame tight end objected to his statement and reiterated that players should always hold themselves accountable first.

What about the DB that was joshing around with the fans? What about the accountability of the players?…That’s what annoys me about Gen Z. They want to absolve themselves of responsibility, of accountability…The play is going on, he’s making fun of the people and the fans who have no impact on the game, and then the quarterback blames the head coach?

Shannon Sharpe called Caleb Williams out

The former tight end referenced Tyrique Stevenson’s costly and premature celebration against the Commanders. To him, Williams represents a generation where an athlete’s first instinct is to pin the blame on another rather than hold himself accountable.

Matt Eberflus and Caleb Williams
Matt Eberflus and Caleb Williams (Images via IMAGO)

The one thing we didn’t do, when we ran those flows, when we practiced, the guys on the defensive side, they’re not messing with the people in the stands. So, Caleb Williams, if you don’t mind me asking…What responsibilities, what role did Tyrique Stevenson play in that? I know you said there were things permeating throughout the locker room…I just want to hear you say what role do you believe he played in that?

Shannon Sharpe went on to compare the present generation’s attitude with that of his generation

That was not a memorable night for Williams. The former USC star was held to 131 yards and 0 touchdowns. He finished the night with a 41% completion rate, the complete opposite of his peer, Jayden Daniels’s numbers. The Commanders’ star had 326 yards and 1 game-winning touchdown with a 55% completion rate. That night, Matt Eberflus made a few questionable play calls, but Tyrique Stevenson deserves the majority of the blame for that loss because had he been focused, he would have broken off the game-winning Hail Mary pass.

Stevenson was duly punished after that game for his conduct, and it is a lesson he will not forget for the rest of his career. The Bears’ locker room was likely filled with nothing but silence after that loss. Caleb Williams showed promise in his rookie year, finishing with 3,541 yards and a 62.5 completion percentage, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.

He created history with 4,030 yards of total offense in his rookie season, a franchise best. Things could have been different if he had a better O-line, as he finished with a league-high 68 sacks and 260 quarterback pressures on him. Things are looking different in Chicago now, and Caleb Williams is familiar with the level at which NFL players play, so hopefully, the Bears can make a mark this season.