Early in Tuesday’s season premiere of “Hard Knocks,” featuring the Chicago Bears, Nick Saban made a cameo.
The recently retired Alabama coaching legend began his head coaching career in 1990 with Toledo. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus played linebacker at Toledo that season. He invited Saban to Bears training camp to appear in front of the “Hard Knocks” cameras and offer some of his wisdom.
Eberflus finds himself in the middle of a high-risk opportunity with considerable potential and the downside of derailing his career. The third-year Bears coach enters the season with the promise of a No. 1 quarterback pick in Caleb Williams, who is already being hailed as a savior for a quarterback-starved franchise that has never produced a 4,000-yard passer.
It’s a situation that brings close scrutiny to both Eberflus and Williams, who will face intense pressure to succeed, perhaps sooner than is reasonable for a team starting a rookie quarterback. Saban offered that perspective to Eberflus.
“This is my theory on why NFL quarterbacks fail at such a dramatic rate,” Saban said. “To me, expectations are a killer. This kid has so much media presence, so much hype, so much expectation to do well. And he has to develop so quickly to meet the expectations that everyone has for him. It’s almost impossible.”
The irony of Saban doling out this wisdom during an hour-long episode of HBO’s annual training camp miniseries devoted almost exclusively to Williams was not lost on him.
How will Williams and Eberflus respond to the pressure?
The weight of Chicago rests on Williams’ shoulders. It’s a point that was repeatedly made on “Hard Knocks,” as it devoted the bulk of the hour to Williams. Because what or who else would it focus on?
The episode began with a draft-day phone call from Eberflus to Williams who pointed his cameras behind Williams’ shoulders as he made his way from the green room to the draft stage in Detroit to give commissioner Roger Goodell a hug.
He then followed Williams through his first training camp meetings and practices and some light rookie hazing that included a botched karaoke rendition of John Legend’s “Ordinary People” that drew jeers and good-natured laughter from his teammates in the Chicago film room.
Williams took the jokes with a smile, likely endearing himself to his teammates. He later spoke to “Hard Knocks” about his preparation and his first experiences as an NFL pro.
“I think I’m on track to be ready,” Williams said. … “Reps are always paramount. Especially for a young guy like me. Every day I’m learning something new. … Obviously, it’s going to be a challenge at times. It’s not going to come any faster or slower than I expected.”
It’s the right answer for a rookie quarterback who is being primed to succeed and expected to succeed. The Bears have invested heavily in Williams, including signing a solid trio of wide receivers in DJ Moore, Kennan Allen and fellow first-round rookie Rome Odunze. It’s a solid group that gives Williams an edge that most quarterbacks ranked No. 1 overall don’t have, exacerbating already high expectations.
Jonathan Owens and rookie OL get some on-camera attention
The episode didn’t focus solely on Williams, but veered into safety Jonathan Owens’ excused absence from training camp to travel to watch his wife Simone Biles compete at the Paris Olympics.
He also provided some shine for undrafted rookie signing Theo Benedet. The Canadian import made his mark with a rendition of “God Bless the USA” in a bathing suit to ingratiate himself with his mostly American teammates. His swimsuit featured an American flag and an image of a bald eagle on the front.
But in the end, the episode focused on Williams, as is expected of the Bears’ season. How Williams and Eberflus perform under that spotlight will be one of the biggest stories of the NFL season.
