Caleb Williams - Quarterback, bears Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-16 | Full transcript (primary source).
Caleb Williams addressed the media during a press conference on September 16, 2026, as the Chicago Bears prepare for their upcoming game against a formidable defense led by Brian Flores. The session focused on the challenges of game preparation and the strategies the team is implementing to gain an advantage.
Transcript
Williams: Scare going I'm gonna say, you know, it's a it's a tough week when you're preparing for for Brian Flores. What do you like about the challenge or other things that you kind of enjoy about getting ready for his defense?
Williams: Yeah as a competitor you These weeks are obviously super tough obviously, you know throughout the week You're five six days out of the week and you're just spending as much as you can trying to figure out anything To be able to give your team the up the advantage So that's what that's the phase that we're in right now, you know We're going throughout the week and you're spending you're getting a little less sleep and all of that. And so you know this this week is Not fun during the week But when you get to game day and you get to get out there all the reps all the you know Throughout the week all the you know film and things like that to be able to get out there compete first Other defense was they have you know, they got great players over there, but also, you know, that scheme Is is one of a kind and so it's as a competitor as a challenger you know it It does get you going a little bit, you know early in the week And so, you know, it's it's exciting and we got a really big challenge ahead of us.
Williams: Your first year Maybe your first year in coaching system Maybe it wasn't fair to say that was all in your responsibility for the year to plan a scheme like this How much more prepared do you feel to solve those problems yourself, right? More so than how it has to come in from coach, but you solve what you see presnap post.
Williams: Yeah, part of it is uh, You know just just knowing how this defense is in the sense of it's a it's a game plan defense And so he's gonna he's gonna game plan all the way up to the tee from first snap to last snap And you know, it's a coach call this calls this mental war when you go versus him and it's that's what it is You got to be able to go out there and and you know things are gonna happen bad things gonna happen You got to be able to fight back and stay steady And so that's that's one of the biggest things is not allowing His defense and all of that to flush to you and get in your mind That's that's one of the first and then after that and you know, you stay steady things like that it now it's time to go, you know, make plays and get completions and You know when the big ones show up, you know take them and find them You know, my job is you know, part of my job is, you know when those things happen is it's finding the big ones and then you know when it's not it's finding the completions and so That's a it's a big challenge for us myself this week. And you know, I'm gonna take it up and you know We'll see how it turns out on Sunday.
Williams: That could be your worst performance offensively understanding when you met them cleaning the little things up for trajectory in your mind What's the full potential of this offense?
Williams: Yeah, um, I Think is scoring every drive is our mindset. I think that's it. That's the potential of us and that's that's Internal that's an internal expectation. That's an internal feeling just of what we have up front wide and in the backfield it's it's an expectation from ourselves to be able to go out there and score every time and Figure out ways to help the defense I mean, that's that's our part to help this team help special teams and all of that is Scoring points as many as we can and so on as many drives that we have and so You know, that's that's our challenge. That's I think that's what I mean by that and you know to be able to do that It can't have penalties. We can't have all these, you know, the the miss, you know, the mishaps and things like that. So Yeah, that's that's what I meant by that.
Williams: What makes Brian Forrest use of a blitz challenge?
Williams: Yeah, he finds ways to your blocking scheme on offense he finds ways to Challenge that and create as many one-on-ones and that's I mean that's what football comes down to is beating your man one-on-one And so he does a good job of that is is you know for your for your blocking schemes run or pass Find as many one-on-ones as he can and then having you know, the players that he has and the scheme that he has You know it, you know that is their advantage in that way. And so that's that's what's challenging about going first him. He's trying to Not allow him to play or not play but you know coach up and you know get his scheme into Where the guys are one-on-one, you know throughout the whole game.
Williams: Okay, the vents and he slept well Saturday night after feeling your comfort in that the quarterbacks me?
Williams: Yeah, I think Just my comfort and you know and and and how I spoke about you know What we were doing in the huddle the night before throughout the week all of that So it's I think it was a a great prep week and you know, I got a I got a one up that.
Williams: What's the balance like between taking forward confidence from how you guys perform the first week to just forgetting about it all together and Focusing on how this is a new week. Like what's the balance like that?
Williams: Yeah, I mean you Have that one. It's really like 12 hours. They say 24, but it's like 12 hours and then from there you You move on to the next team, but the confidence aspect it doesn't come from going want to know the first week You know, that's that's not where it comes from for for at least myself and I would say for for this team But for myself it comes from the work it comes from the belief in my teammates it comes from the belief of my coach and That's where stems from so when we're out there having fun. It looks like we're having fun You know and that that confidence is rolling at that energy is rolling. It comes from all that previous to the season.
Williams: You looked really decisive. Yeah, I think especially watching your first two seasons that looked like there was a jump in that area How what about that felt different to you Sunday?
Williams: Yeah, second year second year in the offense just being able to Like I like I've kind of said over the time is not I'm not Necessarily thinking about the play obviously the plays on my mind and I know where I'm you know The guys are gonna be but it's it's it's more of the the coverage and when I lose my feet or anything like that unless I'm running check down or If they don't give us the right coverage find a check down get the ball in my hands and things like that it One I want to save the offensive lineman. I'm not holding the ball too long I know there's gonna be plays where you know, sometimes I'm gonna do that and I go make a play but just trying to minimize those And then you know when those moments come they come up and we go make a play along those lines.
Williams: Mentioned your conversation with drew breeze. Yeah, sweet. Can he thought maybe something stuck with you? That's exactly but he seemed to kind of hint that it was about taking easy completion checkouts What did drew say to you and what effect did it have on you going into this?
Williams: Yeah I mean, he's a he's a legend. He's 5,000 y'all or not 5,000 be at 5,000 yards consistently throughout the You know throughout his seasons that he's had and things like that and so as a quarterback and his completion percentage and those were high and so You know when he says things like that or anything like that it's uh, it moves you especially when you watched him growing up and So he just I mean he simply just said find three more completions You find three more completions at the end of the year. You'll be a 70% guy and you took that as Know where the checkdowns know where the checkdowns are but you know also just having confidence in you guys and it doesn't have to be You know checkdowns. It could be the big shot. It could be the cold command. It could be the the Rome It's it's having confidence in those guys that know when I want to you know Whether run a great when they run a great route coach calls a great play and it's there It's it's making it and then you know when it's not there. Just you know, find the guy in front of you.
Williams: Watching the way the guys the receivers doing it the running backs as well?
Williams: Yeah, It's encouraging. That's that's who we are. That's who we pride ourselves on being is we play for each other as a team out there Everybody do their 111th and then the second effort is where we become explosive and that's that's scramble That's that's blocking after catch that's blocking, you know after the run. That's how we got that Kalmanunga 61 yarder and so it's it's our it's our what we call little guys out there blocking for each other And so that's like I said, that's our identity. That's who we want to be.
Williams: Oh, yeah Yeah, that's that's I told Ben the other day for the three years that I've been here D'Andre has been You know what they described as a pro for me. I don't I don't say I haven't said it to him I haven't anything like that. But when you watch him, he's here early. He has a routine. He sticks to it He's healthy majority of time. He's always on the practice field. He's all you know, he's he's he's going He's always going and and you know, that's that's exciting to have You know when you got a you know, special talent like that is he's gonna be out there with you He cares for you. He cares for the team. He wants to win He wants to be the best player and so when you have all those things a competitor When you have all those things running together It's it's pretty special and so I'm really excited for him and happy for him and happy for us.
Williams: Give the check down to Kyle that went for 19. Yeah, I'm right before the touch I'm just curious like what that conversation was like with Ben in terms of obvious 19 yards And did you see the grass in front of Kylie? How did you how did that whole process?
Williams: Yeah, so Drop back and they were in a too high and I end up trying to alert the big one And then from there once I went to try and alert the big one I just came down the took out you know I felt the backers dropping out getting a lot of depth and obviously Kyle had a bunch of space in front of them and I Just gave him a good, you know good runners ball trying to turn them upfield away from anybody and you know followed and trusted, you know where the ball was and When got 19 for us.
Williams: Hey Caleb, obviously back at Soldier Field the first time this year. We know what this fan base means to you We know what it means play at Soldier Field. What does that feeling gonna be like on Sunday?
Williams: Yeah, it's gonna be fun It's gonna be exciting. It's January 18th was the last time that we were in there in front of them and in the regular season or playoffs and so Really excited really it's gonna be really fun. I can't wait to To fill and see their energy that they're gonna bring Hopefully when we're on defense and only when we score They've been known to be routing an offense every once in a while. But yeah, no, I'm really excited for them to show out.
Williams: It's the energy since I've been here. It's you know, it felt like it's been shifting and just just trying to provide more more sense of Security, but also more sense of the fans being proud to be a Chicago Bear.
Williams: I think it was first game First game feeling good first time getting hit in 280 some days, I think and so Felt good definitely felt good body wells feeling slim But no, I yeah, no, I'm I'm I'm moving well feeling well joints and things like that I know I'm sounding like a moe when I'm young but When you start packing on a little weight, you know, it gets a little rough So, you know, I like I said, I feel good feel slim Feel feel smooth in my movement and you know, I want to keep that up throughout throughout this part. So yeah. Thank you.
