In the old days, a player’s failure to adapt and succeed in the NFL was solely attributed to the player. Over the years, fans and analysts have rightfully shifted some of the blame to front office and organizational missteps. These particularly stand out when the same teams continue having the same issues, no matter their coach or general manager.
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The Chicago Bears are one of those franchises. They’ve never had a 4,000 yard passer. They have only one season with double-digit victories over the past decade (2018). They also haven’t finished back-to-back campaigns above .500 since 2005-06, and haven’t done so with the same starting quarterback in more than 30 years (Jim Harbaugh: 1990-91).
Basically, the Bears can’t afford to rush anything with Caleb Williams if they actually want him to become their savior. According to Cam Newton, though, they’ve done just that in 2024. On his 4th&1 podcast, he bashed Chicago for seemingly not having a plan to effectively develop Williams.
“Did Jared Goff play early? Did Patrick Mahomes play early?… it’s not accurate to [say sitting] your quarterback down [works]. But what I am saying is this: there has to be an effort to developing the quarterback the proper way. And you have to come up with a plan… failing to plan is planning to fail. Each quarterback needs a plan.”
Newton then rattled off 14 of the league’s best quarterbacks, including Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Tua Tagovailoa. He noted that only four of them were “day one starters” for their teams. The 10:4 ratio seemingly supports his belief that players can succeed in either fashion as long as their organization handles them appropriately.
Cam Newton: “A lot of franchises aren’t patient”
When the Carolina Panthers drafted Newton in 2011, they allowed him to experience the NFL for all it was worth. Regardless of his performances, they kept him in the starting lineup his entire rookie season. He had games with three and four interceptions that year; he responded from each low by leading his team to victory the following week.
These days, quarterbacks aren’t always afforded that opportunity. A string of losses can relegate you to the bench. From there, they may never recover their confidence, which makes it almost impossible to turn things around. Newton believes this organization’s desire to win immediately instead of building something sustainable isn’t healthy for quarterback success.
“This is where the times have changed… a lot of franchises aren’t patient enough to go through these peaks and valleys of their quarterback. And is that really a winning formula?… everybody’s not gonna be Russell Wilson. But think about Russell Wilson here. He was not asked to win games! Bryce Young has been asked to win games… why are you in a rush?”
Expecting a 22-year-old to carry you to the promised land instantly is overly optimistic. As Newton mentioned, there are some rare instances where it has happened. But you can’t let the quick results of others impact your long-term process.
The Green Bay Packers have seamlessly moved from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love because they stick to their proven path. Chicago would have been best served by taking a page out of their rival’s playbook with Williams if they wanted to become a perennial contender. Now, they have to hope to navigate a much trickier road with Williams’ future – and their own – at stake.
