Bears 12.0

[fleet]

I thought this was a pretty accurate summary of Caleb's performance today in The Ringer:



https://www.theringer.com/2025/09/10/nfl/nfl-week-1-real-not-real-caleb-williams-lions-chiefs-kickoff-dolphins

Caleb’s career evaluation is in context of being a number one overall “generational” talent. If he only is not terrible or average, that’s crushing for the Bears who bypassed 2 years of quarterbacks that are going to be better than not terrible. The Bears never had a quarterback. The opportunity cost of choosing Caleb Williams is significant

I guess I don't see how that's responsive to a specific evaluation of how he performed in his first game under Johnson.

In any event, I don't agree that Caleb has to become a "generational" QB in order for the pick to be successful, but I agree he has to become better than average. He doesn't need to be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he probably needs to be ~Russell Wilson for me to think it all worked out fine. Maybe Philip Rivers? It's kind of an interesting question: who is the least good (but still very good) QB who, if Caleb became as good an NFL player as him, you'd be happy? And that doesn't really mean achievements - obviously there are bad QBs who have won SBs and great QBs who have not, so I'm really talking about just overall QB capability.

EDIT: I see you edited and connected up why you were saying that relative to the article. I don't agree with that criticism at all. The author was just reviewing the performance. It's not his job (unless he wants to) to put it in the broader context of expectations for Caleb. He's just breaking down film on one game.

One other thing I'd add here while I'm at it - I think the people itchy to turn to Bagent after one game (and I'm saying you are doing that) are just nuts. The Bears have invested significantly in Caleb and have to see it through, even if it's painful. It took Josh Allen several years to become Josh Allen and he likely never does if the Bills are impatient.

I need him to score more than 17 points to be happy with him. Even then, watching McCarthy become baby Brady (if he does) is never gonna be an easy swallow. We were supposed to have baby Mahomes. Not terrible is devastating especially for a franchise like the Bears that thought they were finally blessed.

[Dresden]

I thought this was a pretty accurate summary of Caleb's performance today in The Ringer:



https://www.theringer.com/2025/09/10/nfl/nfl-week-1-real-not-real-caleb-williams-lions-chiefs-kickoff-dolphins

Caleb’s career evaluation is in context of being a number one overall “generational” talent. If he only is not terrible or average, that’s crushing for the Bears who bypassed 2 years of quarterbacks that are going to be better than not terrible. The Bears never had a quarterback. The opportunity cost of choosing Caleb Williams is significant

I guess I don't see how that's responsive to a specific evaluation of how he performed in his first game under Johnson.

In any event, I don't agree that Caleb has to become a "generational" QB in order for the pick to be successful, but I agree he has to become better than average. He doesn't need to be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he probably needs to be ~Russell Wilson for me to think it all worked out fine. Maybe Philip Rivers? It's kind of an interesting question: who is the least good (but still very good) QB who, if Caleb became as good an NFL player as him, you'd be happy? And that doesn't really mean achievements - obviously there are bad QBs who have won SBs and great QBs who have not, so I'm really talking about just overall QB capability.

EDIT: I see you edited and connected up why you were saying that relative to the article. I don't agree with that criticism at all. The author was just reviewing the performance. It's not his job (unless he wants to) to put it in the broader context of expectations for Caleb. He's just breaking down film on one game.

One other thing I'd add here while I'm at it - I think the people itchy to turn to Bagent after one game (and I'm saying you are doing that) are just nuts. The Bears have invested significantly in Caleb and have to see it through, even if it's painful. It took Josh Allen several years to become Josh Allen and he likely never does if the Bills are impatient.

Call me nuts then, but I'm dying to see what Bagent can do in this offense. I'd love to see him have just one game to start and play the whole game, just to test whether or not Caleb is the problem. And most likely we'll see that at some point this year. There were just so many chances to make plays in the game that Caleb missed, that an ordinarily competent NFL QB should make.

I get your point about having to be patient. But the concern is that Caleb just may not have what it takes. Yeah it's hard in under 3 seconds to read the defense, adjust to any pressure you might be getting, scan the field, and make a good decision and then throw a good ball. But there are plenty of guys who can do that, and I'm not sure how easy it is to learn it at this stage if you really aren't good at it already.

[Dresden]

Also, Bryce Young got benched for a bit, and he came back much better. So it's not the end of the world if they do that with Caleb. I wouldn't do it next week, but if we see another 3-4 games just like the one we just saw, meaning winnable games but for the QB play, then hell yeah, I want to see if Bagent can win us some games.

[jnrjr79]

Caleb’s career evaluation is in context of being a number one overall “generational” talent. If he only is not terrible or average, that’s crushing for the Bears who bypassed 2 years of quarterbacks that are going to be better than not terrible. The Bears never had a quarterback. The opportunity cost of choosing Caleb Williams is significant

I guess I don't see how that's responsive to a specific evaluation of how he performed in his first game under Johnson.

In any event, I don't agree that Caleb has to become a "generational" QB in order for the pick to be successful, but I agree he has to become better than average. He doesn't need to be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he probably needs to be ~Russell Wilson for me to think it all worked out fine. Maybe Philip Rivers? It's kind of an interesting question: who is the least good (but still very good) QB who, if Caleb became as good an NFL player as him, you'd be happy? And that doesn't really mean achievements - obviously there are bad QBs who have won SBs and great QBs who have not, so I'm really talking about just overall QB capability.

EDIT: I see you edited and connected up why you were saying that relative to the article. I don't agree with that criticism at all. The author was just reviewing the performance. It's not his job (unless he wants to) to put it in the broader context of expectations for Caleb. He's just breaking down film on one game.

One other thing I'd add here while I'm at it - I think the people itchy to turn to Bagent after one game (and I'm saying you are doing that) are just nuts. The Bears have invested significantly in Caleb and have to see it through, even if it's painful. It took Josh Allen several years to become Josh Allen and he likely never does if the Bills are impatient.

I need him to score more than 17 points to be happy with him. Even then, watching McCarthy become baby Brady (if he does) is never gonna be an easy swallow. We were supposed to have baby Mahomes. Not terrible is devastating especially for a franchise like the Bears that thought they were finally blessed

I totally understand the mentality, but I never really get bothered by the whole "this guy picked much later than the guy we picked ended up being better." That Tom Brady is the greatest QB of all time is not really an indictment of every front office in the NFL. This stuff is fairly unpredictable.

The thing that does bug me is "the guy picked one pick later ended up better," insofar as that's generally someone who you might plausibly have picked.

Caleb doesn't "score" points, precisely, but I agree he'd need to be much better than he's been to date in order to consider the pick a win. It is certainly not a win so far, even if I remain somewhat optimistic. I would say that even if Caleb ends up being really good and even if the Bears have (finally) made a great hire in Ben Johnson, I do not necessarily expect Caleb to look terrific early on in this season. It will probably take time. I hope it pays off in the end.

[jnrjr79]

Caleb’s career evaluation is in context of being a number one overall “generational” talent. If he only is not terrible or average, that’s crushing for the Bears who bypassed 2 years of quarterbacks that are going to be better than not terrible. The Bears never had a quarterback. The opportunity cost of choosing Caleb Williams is significant

I guess I don't see how that's responsive to a specific evaluation of how he performed in his first game under Johnson.

In any event, I don't agree that Caleb has to become a "generational" QB in order for the pick to be successful, but I agree he has to become better than average. He doesn't need to be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he probably needs to be ~Russell Wilson for me to think it all worked out fine. Maybe Philip Rivers? It's kind of an interesting question: who is the least good (but still very good) QB who, if Caleb became as good an NFL player as him, you'd be happy? And that doesn't really mean achievements - obviously there are bad QBs who have won SBs and great QBs who have not, so I'm really talking about just overall QB capability.

EDIT: I see you edited and connected up why you were saying that relative to the article. I don't agree with that criticism at all. The author was just reviewing the performance. It's not his job (unless he wants to) to put it in the broader context of expectations for Caleb. He's just breaking down film on one game.

One other thing I'd add here while I'm at it - I think the people itchy to turn to Bagent after one game (and I'm saying you are doing that) are just nuts. The Bears have invested significantly in Caleb and have to see it through, even if it's painful. It took Josh Allen several years to become Josh Allen and he likely never does if the Bills are impatient.

Call me nuts then, but I'm dying to see what Bagent can do in this offense. I'd love to see him have just one game to start and play the whole game, just to test whether or not Caleb is the problem. And most likely we'll see that at some point this year. There were just so many chances to make plays in the game that Caleb missed, that an ordinarily competent NFL QB should make.

QBs get hurt, so you'll very likely get the chance to see Bagent play at some point, but my personal opinion is it would be really foolish to make a switch to compare them. I do not care if, today, Caleb is "the problem" or whether the offense would look better with Bagent. I care if Caleb can become a franchise QB for a team that hasn't had one in my lifetime. You don't get the answer to that question by benching him in his second season with a brand new coach/system, particularly when everyone seems to agree that the guy who coached him in his first year was inept. You have to see this through.

I get your point about having to be patient. But the concern is that Caleb just may not have what it takes. Yeah it's hard in under 3 seconds to read the defense, adjust to any pressure you might be getting, scan the field, and make a good decision and then throw a good ball. But there are plenty of guys who can do that, and I'm not sure how easy it is to learn it at this stage if you really aren't good at it already.

Some NFL players hit the ground running with this stuff and some don't. I'd prefer if Caleb were one of the "immediately gets it" guys, but the idea that we should be pulling the plug after he just played a decent, but not great, game against an elite defense resulting in a narrow loss - it bewilders me.

[dice]

Some NFL players hit the ground running with this stuff and some don't. I'd prefer if Caleb were one of the "immediately gets it" guys, but the idea that we should be pulling the plug after he just played a decent, but not great, game against an elite defense resulting in a narrow loss - it bewilders me.

not an elite defense, but otherwise agree

[dice]

did i see it wrong or was there no player contact prior to ball being punched out on BJ's challenge?

I didn't think so either.

I thought for catches, a player needs contact to be downed, but it seems to be applicable as the refs please.

Unless there's a clear and concise ruling on this I missed.

Nick Wright says if a player’s knee is down, and you punch the ball, the ball is the same as part of the body, so player is down by contact the moment ball is touched.

so basically if you're on your knee(s) you can just hand the other team the ball

[Dominator83]

I guess I don't see how that's responsive to a specific evaluation of how he performed in his first game under Johnson.

In any event, I don't agree that Caleb has to become a "generational" QB in order for the pick to be successful, but I agree he has to become better than average. He doesn't need to be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he probably needs to be ~Russell Wilson for me to think it all worked out fine. Maybe Philip Rivers? It's kind of an interesting question: who is the least good (but still very good) QB who, if Caleb became as good an NFL player as him, you'd be happy? And that doesn't really mean achievements - obviously there are bad QBs who have won SBs and great QBs who have not, so I'm really talking about just overall QB capability.

EDIT: I see you edited and connected up why you were saying that relative to the article. I don't agree with that criticism at all. The author was just reviewing the performance. It's not his job (unless he wants to) to put it in the broader context of expectations for Caleb. He's just breaking down film on one game.

One other thing I'd add here while I'm at it - I think the people itchy to turn to Bagent after one game (and I'm saying you are doing that) are just nuts. The Bears have invested significantly in Caleb and have to see it through, even if it's painful. It took Josh Allen several years to become Josh Allen and he likely never does if the Bills are impatient.

Call me nuts then, but I'm dying to see what Bagent can do in this offense. I'd love to see him have just one game to start and play the whole game, just to test whether or not Caleb is the problem. And most likely we'll see that at some point this year. There were just so many chances to make plays in the game that Caleb missed, that an ordinarily competent NFL QB should make.

QBs get hurt, so you'll very likely get the chance to see Bagent play at some point, but my personal opinion is it would be really foolish to make a switch to compare them. I do not care if, today, Caleb is "the problem" or whether the offense would look better with Bagent. I care if Caleb can become a franchise QB for a team that hasn't had one in my lifetime. You don't get the answer to that question by benching him in his second season with a brand new coach/system, particularly when everyone seems to agree that the guy who coached him in his first year was inept. You have to see this through.

I get your point about having to be patient. But the concern is that Caleb just may not have what it takes. Yeah it's hard in under 3 seconds to read the defense, adjust to any pressure you might be getting, scan the field, and make a good decision and then throw a good ball. But there are plenty of guys who can do that, and I'm not sure how easy it is to learn it at this stage if you really aren't good at it already.

Some NFL players hit the ground running with this stuff and some don't. I'd prefer if Caleb were one of the "immediately gets it" guys, but the idea that we should be pulling the plug after he just played a decent, but not great, game against an elite defense resulting in a narrow loss - it bewilders me.

Caleb is likely Trey Lance, and Bagent may very well be Brock Purdy.

But regardless, maybe he needs to sit and watch for a while. Rodgers sat for 3 years, as did Jordan Love. Its worked well for the Packers

[dice]

pff grades:

78 d wright
77 caleb
74 n wright
72 zaccheaus
69 tyrique
67 kmet
67 edmunds
65 rome
64 sweat
63 dayo
60 dalman
60 DJ
60 jarrett
59 thuney
59 brax
58 byard
57 dexter
56 swift
54 brisker
53 sewell
52 loveland
44 mccloud
31 jackson

tankathon has us taking CB jermod mccoy of tennessee w/ the #13 pick. fine by me!

[Dresden]

I guess I don't see how that's responsive to a specific evaluation of how he performed in his first game under Johnson.

In any event, I don't agree that Caleb has to become a "generational" QB in order for the pick to be successful, but I agree he has to become better than average. He doesn't need to be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he probably needs to be ~Russell Wilson for me to think it all worked out fine. Maybe Philip Rivers? It's kind of an interesting question: who is the least good (but still very good) QB who, if Caleb became as good an NFL player as him, you'd be happy? And that doesn't really mean achievements - obviously there are bad QBs who have won SBs and great QBs who have not, so I'm really talking about just overall QB capability.

EDIT: I see you edited and connected up why you were saying that relative to the article. I don't agree with that criticism at all. The author was just reviewing the performance. It's not his job (unless he wants to) to put it in the broader context of expectations for Caleb. He's just breaking down film on one game.

One other thing I'd add here while I'm at it - I think the people itchy to turn to Bagent after one game (and I'm saying you are doing that) are just nuts. The Bears have invested significantly in Caleb and have to see it through, even if it's painful. It took Josh Allen several years to become Josh Allen and he likely never does if the Bills are impatient.

Call me nuts then, but I'm dying to see what Bagent can do in this offense. I'd love to see him have just one game to start and play the whole game, just to test whether or not Caleb is the problem. And most likely we'll see that at some point this year. There were just so many chances to make plays in the game that Caleb missed, that an ordinarily competent NFL QB should make.

QBs get hurt, so you'll very likely get the chance to see Bagent play at some point, but my personal opinion is it would be really foolish to make a switch to compare them. I do not care if, today, Caleb is "the problem" or whether the offense would look better with Bagent. I care if Caleb can become a franchise QB for a team that hasn't had one in my lifetime. You don't get the answer to that question by benching him in his second season with a brand new coach/system, particularly when everyone seems to agree that the guy who coached him in his first year was inept. You have to see this through.

I get your point about having to be patient. But the concern is that Caleb just may not have what it takes. Yeah it's hard in under 3 seconds to read the defense, adjust to any pressure you might be getting, scan the field, and make a good decision and then throw a good ball. But there are plenty of guys who can do that, and I'm not sure how easy it is to learn it at this stage if you really aren't good at it already.

Some NFL players hit the ground running with this stuff and some don't. I'd prefer if Caleb were one of the "immediately gets it" guys, but the idea that we should be pulling the plug after he just played a decent, but not great, game against an elite defense resulting in a narrow loss - it bewilders me.

I didn't say pull the plug after one game. I said another 3-4 games like this last one. Maybe it's a Trey Lance/Brock Purdy situation. I"m not sure how often guys go from being pretty bad, to really, really good. I know Manning and Aikman were bad their first years, but were they bad in year 2 as well? I'd love to be convinced these are just growing pains and Caleb eventually gets it. But with each performance like last nights, where he fails to see guys open, and badly misses others, I don't know, if just feels like Justin Fields all over again, where we kept waiting for him to be able to play QB, and just never got there.

[Dresden]

pgg grades:

78 d wright
77 caleb
74 n wright
72 zaccheaus
69 tyrique
67 kmet
67 edmunds
65 rome
64 sweat
63 dayo
60 dalman
60 DJ
60 jarrett
59 thuney
59 brax
58 byard
57 dexter
56 swift
54 brisker
53 sewell
52 loveland
44 mccloud
31 jackson

tankathon has us taking CB jermod mccoy of tennessee w/ the #13 pick. fine by me!

Our two CB's both graded out very well against a team with some serious weapons. Good showing. I have to believe Caleb's numbers were due to his running numbers and not throwing any picks. I think by a lot of other measurements (as people have posted) he was pretty bad.

[jnrjr79]

Call me nuts then, but I'm dying to see what Bagent can do in this offense. I'd love to see him have just one game to start and play the whole game, just to test whether or not Caleb is the problem. And most likely we'll see that at some point this year. There were just so many chances to make plays in the game that Caleb missed, that an ordinarily competent NFL QB should make.

QBs get hurt, so you'll very likely get the chance to see Bagent play at some point, but my personal opinion is it would be really foolish to make a switch to compare them. I do not care if, today, Caleb is "the problem" or whether the offense would look better with Bagent. I care if Caleb can become a franchise QB for a team that hasn't had one in my lifetime. You don't get the answer to that question by benching him in his second season with a brand new coach/system, particularly when everyone seems to agree that the guy who coached him in his first year was inept. You have to see this through.

I get your point about having to be patient. But the concern is that Caleb just may not have what it takes. Yeah it's hard in under 3 seconds to read the defense, adjust to any pressure you might be getting, scan the field, and make a good decision and then throw a good ball. But there are plenty of guys who can do that, and I'm not sure how easy it is to learn it at this stage if you really aren't good at it already.

Some NFL players hit the ground running with this stuff and some don't. I'd prefer if Caleb were one of the "immediately gets it" guys, but the idea that we should be pulling the plug after he just played a decent, but not great, game against an elite defense resulting in a narrow loss - it bewilders me.

I didn't say pull the plug after one game. I said another 3-4 games like this last one. Maybe it's a Trey Lance/Brock Purdy situation. I"m not sure how often guys go from being pretty bad, to really, really good. I know Manning and Aikman were bad their first years, but were they bad in year 2 as well? I'd love to be convinced these are just growing pains and Caleb eventually gets it. But with each performance like last nights, where he fails to see guys open, and badly misses others, I don't know, if just feels like Justin Fields all over again, where we kept waiting for him to be able to play QB, and just never got there.

You won’t know whether Caleb is bad in year 2 unless you gave him all of year 2 (or something close to it). Yanking him after 4 games in a brand new system means you’ll never know the answer to what he is.

Manning did take a good leap in year 2, but if you go back and look at its stats, it’s years ~6-10 where he’s “Peyton Manning.” (I’m not suggesting we have to give Caleb until year 6, lol).

TBH, I’m not looking to find out if Bagent is Brock Purdy. I wouldn’t even really want Brock Purdy all that much, at his current salary. But he’s good enough that when on a rookie contract you can make a nice run because you can spend on other positions, I suppose. But I don’t think Purdy is headed to the Hall of Fame or anything. Just my guess.

[TheGOATRises007]

[MAQ]

QBs get hurt, so you'll very likely get the chance to see Bagent play at some point, but my personal opinion is it would be really foolish to make a switch to compare them. I do not care if, today, Caleb is "the problem" or whether the offense would look better with Bagent. I care if Caleb can become a franchise QB for a team that hasn't had one in my lifetime. You don't get the answer to that question by benching him in his second season with a brand new coach/system, particularly when everyone seems to agree that the guy who coached him in his first year was inept. You have to see this through.



Some NFL players hit the ground running with this stuff and some don't. I'd prefer if Caleb were one of the "immediately gets it" guys, but the idea that we should be pulling the plug after he just played a decent, but not great, game against an elite defense resulting in a narrow loss - it bewilders me.

I didn't say pull the plug after one game. I said another 3-4 games like this last one. Maybe it's a Trey Lance/Brock Purdy situation. I"m not sure how often guys go from being pretty bad, to really, really good. I know Manning and Aikman were bad their first years, but were they bad in year 2 as well? I'd love to be convinced these are just growing pains and Caleb eventually gets it. But with each performance like last nights, where he fails to see guys open, and badly misses others, I don't know, if just feels like Justin Fields all over again, where we kept waiting for him to be able to play QB, and just never got there.

You won’t know whether Caleb is bad in year 2 unless you gave him all of year 2 (or something close to it). Yanking him after 4 games in a brand new system means you’ll never know the answer to what he is.

Manning did take a good leap in year 2, but if you go back and look at its stats, it’s years ~6-10 where he’s “Peyton Manning.” (I’m not suggesting we have to give Caleb until year 6, lol).

TBH, I’m not looking to find out if Bagent is Brock Purdy. I wouldn’t even really want Brock Purdy all that much, at his current salary. But he’s good enough that when on a rookie contract you can make a nice run because you can spend on other positions, I suppose. But I don’t think Purdy is headed to the Hall of Fame or anything. Just my guess.

In reality, you probably DO/SHOULD give Caleb 6 years. It's a stone cold reality that players are typically much better players in year 6 than they are in year 1 or 2.

Justin looked great in week 1 of year 6
Bake Mayfield saved his career in year 6
Josh Allen, who looked pedestrian in his first two seasons, won an MVP in year 7.

I've seen enough from Caleb to believe in his talent while also being honest enough to realize he has a lot of things he needs to fix. Thing is, I believe it can be fixed. And im more willing to wait it out with him than I have with any other qb. The kid is talented as all hell.

[Dresden]

Frank Schwab today:

"It's probably fair to surmise that there's less excitement for the start to Williams' career than any other QB in the 2024 draft class (though Nix and Maye were both terrible Sunday to start their second seasons). Williams, the first pick of last year's draft by the Chicago Bears, hasn't been terrible. But everyone is still waiting for him to level up and stay there."

So there's another question- why is Caleb seemingly the worst out of the 6 QB's taken in the first round in '24? As a Bears' fan, I just want to see some good offense for a change. We suffered through Mitch Trubisky, then Justin Fields, and now here we are again, wondering when our QB is going to start playing like one. So I guess I'm just impatient. And I also think this team could go somewhere with a good QB, and hate to see the season wasted for want of one.

[panthermark]

CW is the hyped up #1 overall pick. He needs to be one of the guys that can make that throw. I'm not sure why he is talking about DJ's hand going up (signal that he is open) given that the ball landed out of bounds and was uncatchable.

[SalmonsSuperfan]

I need him to score more than 17 points to be happy with him. Even then, watching McCarthy become baby Brady (if he does) is never gonna be an easy swallow. We were supposed to have baby Mahomes. Not terrible is devastating especially for a franchise like the Bears that thought they were finally blessed.

To be fair, McCarthy didn't look good at all. Justin "Diamonds Dancin'" Jefferson did a lot of the heavy lifting. Maybe we were hoping DJ Moore was that guy but he isn't and perhaps it was an unreasonable expectation. The pick 6 was just embarrassing for him.

But yeah, the expectations for the two young QBs are way different.

[fleet]

McCarthy’s makeup is +++. There’s a reason he’s won his whole life. Special leadership. He will get 110% out of whatever tools he has, and his team’s. Just the way he responded to the way things which were amazing bad was showing something different there. This is a waayyy too early proposition that won’t age well, but if you forced me to bet my last dollar on him or Caleb, I’m taking McCarthy

[Betta Bulleavit]

Also, Bryce Young got benched for a bit, and he came back much better. So it's not the end of the world if they do that with Caleb. I wouldn't do it next week, but if we see another 3-4 games just like the one we just saw, meaning winnable games but for the QB play, then hell yeah, I want to see if Bagent can win us some games.

I didn’t think the quarterback play was that bad. I think that Caleb is trying to find that balance between gunslinging and game managing and when you do that, you get what we saw on Monday night. A QB playing to not piss off his new coach. But in totality, there were many reasons besides the QB play that we didn’t hang on to that game.

As far as Bagent goes, I like him…for what he is. And that’s a backup. He’s not a long term starter. There’s a reason why there is a running joke about Bears fans and our love for backup quarterbacks. We do this all the time. I think we just need to exercise a bit more patience and let this thing play out. I think we’ve got something if we can just cool our jets.

[nomorezorro]

CW is the hyped up #1 overall pick. He needs to be one of the guys that can make that throw. I'm not sure why he is talking about DJ's hand going up (signal that he is open) given that the ball landed out of bounds and was uncatchable.

the hand going up isn't a sign that he's open; it's a sign that he was adjusting his route from how it's drawn up. kurt warner said the same thing as fitzpatrick about how it's difficult for a QB to adjust to the WR going on a different path when you've already begun the mechanics of throwing it where you originally expect him to be