NFC Notes: Romeo Doubs, Caleb Williams, Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles said he isn’t going to compare the start of No. 1 overall QB Caleb Williams‘ career to the fast beginning of No. 2 overall QB Jayden Daniels‘s career.

“The human side of it is you want your guy to just take off and roll, but everyone’s journey is gonna be different,” Poles said, via Marquee Sports. “I think the important thing is for Caleb to understand that as well and run his own race, and he’s done that well in terms of just focusing on, ‘how can I get better, how can I put our team in a position to win games?’”

Poles added that Williams has grown to become a great leader and has been doing all the right things while adding that he thinks the explosive plays will come.

“He’s learning how to play professional football,” Poles said. “And when I say that, that means to have a winning mentality in terms of what does it take to win football games from the quarterback position. And you’ve seen that in terms of the efficiency, protecting the football, taking what’s given to him, and then, going into this last game, now explosives are starting to show up. I really like his progress, I love the work ethic and the time that he’s put into it, the grit and toughness, the ability to bounce back from tough games. He’s right where he should be and he’s continuing to get better.”

Poles added that he believes Williams’ pocket presence has improved and he’s done a great job of keeping his eyes downfield.

“Once he gets vertical, he has the ability to manipulate and stay alive to keep his eyes down the field,” Poles said. “But he does look more poised and I think that’s part of getting the reps and also understanding where everyone is going to be. And that trust too. I thought early there were some reps where he was drifting a little bit to the left side that caused even more pressure. He looks more calm and collected and moving through his progressions.”

Packers

Packers WR Romeo Doubs was suspended for Week 5’s game against the Rams due to conduct detrimental to the team after skipping Thursday and Friday’s practices leading into the game due to reportedly being unhappy with his role. Christian Watson stood behind Doubs, saying that this would blow over. 

“I think two days isn’t gonna ruin the three years of work and commitment he’s put in for us,” said Watson, via Matt Schniedman. “It’ll definitely be a little weird right away just because it was a pretty significant situation for him, but I mean, he’s Rome to us. I think it’ll blow by pretty quickly and we’ll all be right back to how we were … There will probably be a few bumps in the road trying to get that togetherness and that family feeling back, but at the end of the day, he’s back in the building and I know that his goal is also to win a football game this week.”

Watson mentioned he was surprised by Doubs’ missing practice and wants to be there for Doubs in case he’s going through anything mentally. 

“It’s definitely surprising, but it’s a mentally taxing business,” Watson said. “It’s a lot going on. We all have our own individual goals, so you really never truly know what somebody’s thinking and I’ll never wanna talk down and on anyone’s mental health. I don’t really still know the exact specifics of the situation, but whenever someone’s going through something, they do things that you wouldn’t really expect from them.”

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst is confident they will be able to move forward with Doubs “in a positive manner.” 

“His decisions and actions during the week negatively impacted the team and required us to take this action,” Gutekunst said. “While we are certainly disappointed, we are confident that we will be able to move forward in a positive manner. Romeo is a valuable member of our team and we look forward to welcoming him back next week.”

Vikings

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell credited QB Sam Darnold for the work he put in to revive his career and emerge as one of the league’s best starting quarterbacks.

“I knew all along if we could get some guys open — Sam Darnold’s going to hit them,” O’Connell said, via Vikings Wire. “He’s talented, he can play quarterback in the NFL. I’ve always believed that and I’m proud of him…He’s one of our captains and he works as hard as anyone each week to be ready. I’m not surprised when he goes out and has success. The challenge for Sam and the rest of our team is how they handle the success.”