Intense scene in ‘Hard Knocks’ exposes the pinpoint detail of Caleb Williams’ preparation

Intense scene in ‘Hard Knocks’ exposes the pinpoint detail of Caleb Williams’ preparation originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The details of Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams‘ preparation are pinpoint.

How so?

In the most recent episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” the series showed Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff teaching Williams the proper way to spike the football during a clock management play. It seems simple enough. But the details are excruciating.

“So Tra [Blake] just said that take it here, don’t move your feet, and just spike it,” Eberflus told Williams during a training camp practice. “If you do this and go like that (one step backward), you can’t do that. Yeah, you just gotta literally take it here and spike it. Can’t take a step back. Because then you’re simulating … that’s a drop. Does that make sense? I’m just telling you what the man said.”

Eberflus explained to Williams the correct way to spike the football in a clock management situation. He gained the knowledge, likely, from referee Tra Blake during a training camp practice to relay to the rookie signal caller. Later in the clip, Williams showed the rest of the quarterbacks the right way to spike the ball, too.

But why is this so important?

Harrison Freid, the team’s Director of Research & Analysis, showed Williams a preseason spike blunder that cost the Vikings a preseason game this summer.

The Vikings quarterback took one step back and spiked the ball. His team was within field goal range and he was attempting to stop the clock with three seconds left in the game. Unfortunately, his one step back cost him the game.

“That’s intentional grounding,” Freid told Williams. “What happens with intentional grounding? You lose a down. What else happens? 10-second runoff. Do they have a timeout to avoid that 10-second runoff? (No). What does that mean?

“They lose the game because the kid forgot to spike the ball.”

All of the minutiae of Williams’ preparation is down to the last incremental detail. Down to the last spike before kicking the field goal. It’s evident from Williams’ demeanor in the video the Bears are drilling information into his brain.

But that’s OK because the Bears are doing their absolute best to prepare Williams for gameday. And they’re less than two weeks away from watching their work take action against the Titans in Week 1.

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