Tyler Dunne's piece on Caleb Williams is DAMNING

[CNYfan]

11 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

I’ll say this: it’ll be really interesting to see how many/which people speak up to defend Caleb in response to this.  And also if this stuff is true, whether Caleb can change - if he can’t, Ben Johnson isn’t going to let it tank his career (he has spent too long waiting for this opportunity).  He’ll switch to Tyson Bagent and never look back - and I think Baget may be legit.

I thought you were through, CT?  

Let it rest.  

[DrDawkinstein]

3 hours ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

Speculation and exaggerations from petty, unnamed, ex-coaches and a bush league shock jock. 

 

To start: TD does hit pieces, releases them days before the season starts, and hides that juicy tea behind a paywall. They are all, always, unnamed sources. TD is a total joke. 
 

If an unnamed source states an opinion, like Williams has a learning disability, that is speculation.

 

"Not knowing how to watch film" 

"50% of the play calls verbalized wrong"

"Dyslexic" 

 

Lots of it, from these unnamed sources, who are all fired ex-coaches I think, seem to be exaggerated. Could it all be real? Maybe. If Williams was that bad and dysfunctional he sure did manage to put up some numbers as a rookie. 
 

The issue with me is Ty Dunne has zero credibility and is nothing more than a shock jock. Also a Packers fan, that may be worth mentioning. 
 

"Dumbing down the playbook," calling plays a rookie QB is comfortable with, growing pains (like reciting plays wrong),  and relearning how to watch film aren't uncommon occurrences for rookie QBs, for what it's worth. 

 

I'm almost 100% certain most of this is coming directly from Shane Waldron, the OC the Bears fired midseason due to incompetence and refusing to do his job of developing Williams.

 

The big story on Waldron was when he straight up refused to watch film with Caleb Williams AT ALL.

 

Williams had to seek outside sources to help him review film and learn what to look for, and even had to setup his own film study room, because Waldron refused to do it with him.

 

Complete coaching malpractice and stealing money from the team.

 

As far as "not knowing how to watch film" and "calling the plays wrong"... yeah, I believe all that was true. Not because Williams has a problem, but because A LOT of quarterbacks come out of college having never huddled, having never called a play, having never even taken a snap from under center (and have to learn how to take the snap, and do their drop-back for the first time as a pro).

 

It's up to the coaching staffs on their pro teams to teach and develop them, and Waldron refused.

 

He was fired midseason due to this incompetence, and is now on a revenge tour after all this came out.

 

I'm not even a Caleb Wiliams fan, but this is just doing him dirty.

 

Shane Waldron is to Caleb Williams as Quinton Spain is the Sean McDermott.

 

 

Edited September 6 by DrDawkinstein

[Coach Tuesday]

14 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I'm almost 100% certain most of this is coming directly from Shane Waldron, the OC the Bears fired midseason due to incompetence and refusing to do his job of developing Williams.

 

The big story on Waldron was when he straight up refused to watch film with Caleb Williams AT ALL.

 

Williams had to seek outside sources to help him review film and learn what to look for, and even had to setup his own film study room, because Waldron refused to do it with him.

 

Complete coaching malpractice and stealing money from the team.

 

As far as "not knowing how to watch film" and "calling the plays wrong"... yeah, I believe all that was true. Not because Williams has a problem, but because A LOT of quarterbacks come out of college having never huddled, having never called a play, having never even taken a snap from under center (and have to learn how to take the snap, and do their drop-back for the first time as a pro).

 

It's up to the coaching staffs on their pro teams to teach and develop them, and Waldron refused.

 

He was fired midseason due to this incompetence, and is now on a revenge tour after all this came out.

 

I'm not even a Caleb Wiliams fan, but this is just doing him dirty.

 

Shane Waldron is to Caleb Williams as Quinton Spain is the Sean McDermott.

 

 

The article discusses that in detail - quotes coaches who dispute that narrative and say it was Caleb who refused and then threw Waldron under the bus.

26 minutes ago, CNYfan said:

I thought you were through, CT?  

Let it rest.  

I didn’t say I was through discussing the substance.  This is going to be a big story (odd he released it on a late summer Friday though).  The idea that Caleb is an entitled kid  who may have a serious learning disability that multiple levels of people covered up systemically to protect his draft status - fascinating stuff.  Dunne interviewed and quotes many people who were in the room when he was drafted, when he was coached, etc.  

[DrDawkinstein]

3 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

The article discusses that in detail - quotes coaches who dispute that narrative and say it was Caleb who refused and then threw Waldron under the bus.

 

Exactly what Waldron and his friends would say. Just like Spain, and Doug Whaley, and everyone else Dunne associates with that is trying to save face and resurrect their careers.

 

Weird that Waldron was the one fired mid-season then.

 

 

Edited September 6 by DrDawkinstein

[Coach Tuesday]

1 minute ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Exactly what Waldron and his friends would say. Weird that Waldron was the one fired mid-season then.

Certainly possible.  The quotes were pretty extensive and seemed also from folks with less skin in the game - but it certainly could be the case.  That’s why I’m interested to see who sticks up for Caleb.

[Delete_Delete_Delete]

Oh look, a hit piece by Tyler Dunne, how unprecedented…

Edited Saturday at 07:20 PM by Delete_Delete_Delete

[yall]

Considering how Williams looked against us in a joint practice and a preseason game, this smells a bit like the McDermott piece.

 

If Caleb really is a brain dead, low work ethic schlub, we'll find out in about 4 games.

 

[Mister Defense]

8 hours ago, estro613 said:

 

Fast forward to about 20 minutes mark to hear Tyler on Caleb and the Bears 

 

Caleb is an absolute disaster. I already was super low on Caleb, but after hearing some of this stuff......wow.

 

 

 

Sad, pathetic even, that you give this muckraker any kind of legitimacy on this forum.

 

They guy's main shtick is to create conflict and controversy so people buy what he is selling.

 

As the Bleacher Report says about this:  "In fact, this basically reads like a hit piece … which is not something I’d toss out lightly given the subject matter. Most of the quotes and stories come off as if they are from the perspective of someone with an axe to grind. And who has more of an axe to grind than staffers who were moved out after the failures of the 2024 Bears season? And that’s to say nothing about why it’s only coming out now, a few days before the Bears’ season is set to begin."

 

Hmmm...sound familiar to you??

 

Shocking that anyone would take what dunne says to heart to the point where someone says, "Caleb is an absolute disaster".  And implied: 'I have full trust and faith in everything dunne says, always.'

 

 

Edited Saturday at 07:53 PM by Mister Defense

[Mister Defense]

45 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

The article discusses that in detail - quotes coaches who dispute that narrative and say it was Caleb who refused and then threw Waldron under the bus.

I didn’t say I was through discussing the substance.  This is going to be a big story (odd he released it on a late summer Friday though).  The idea that Caleb is an entitled kid  who may have a serious learning disability that multiple levels of people covered up systemically to protect his draft status - fascinating stuff.  Dunne interviewed and quotes many people who were in the room when he was drafted, when he was coached, etc.  

 

Yikes--see bold and in general above...  Love the "fascinating stuff" line!  Don't forget to pick up a copy of the Weekly World News, see how aliens are walking among us, in key positions in our society  Yup, fascinating stuff too. To some.

 

Yeah, 'odd' that a hit man muckraker with zero journalistic integrity would just happen to  (self) publish this the week of the season opener!?!?

 

Odd is the word!

 

 

[Paup 1995MVP]

6 hours ago, ProcessTruster said:

IMO, if Ben Johnson can make Jared Goff good, he can make Caleb really good...

 

... and yes, I'm glad you asked.. my fantasy team does depend on this ..:)

Jared Goff has always been good.  He was the first pick in the 2016 draft.  He was good with the Rams, before McVay threw him under the bus.  

 

He wasn't made by Ben Johnson.  The guy has always had talent.  He just can't move much.  Sure Ben Johnson has been a very good OC (remains to be seen how good of a HC he will be) but I think that's a false narrative that Ben Johnson made Jared Goff into a good QB.  

[Coach Tuesday]

9 minutes ago, Paup 1995MVP said:

Jared Goff has always been good.  He was the first pick in the 2016 draft.  He was good with the Rams, before McVay threw him under the bus.  

 

He wasn't made by Ben Johnson.  The guy has always had talent.  He just can't move much.  Sure Ben Johnson has been a very good OC (remains to be seen how good of a HC he will be) but I think that's a false narrative that Ben Johnson made Jared Goff into a good QB.  

Agree with that.  Just the latest of the many things Goff has had to overcome in his career - this notion that Johnson made him.  Goff was done dirty by McVay and he could’ve lost his fight and confidence being exiled to Detroit and instead it turns out he has incredible football (and general human, if you read about him) character.  Really interesting and impressive dude.

Edited Saturday at 08:32 PM by Coach Tuesday

[hondo in seattle]

6 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Yeah I totally completely disagree with you.  I thought his hit piece on McD was cheap because what was the big reveal?  That a young coach gets nervous under pressure?  So what?  But this piece goes way deeper and many of Dunne’s other longform pieces do too.

 

Attacking the speaker as a quick way to kill the speech (and avoid having to engage with its content - or even read it), is very 2025, I get it, we’re a society of Twitter trolls now, but I’m not signing up for it.

 

Please point those out so we can have a discussion about them, Andy.

 

Coach, I notice you vomiting anytime someone says something negative about Dunne.  Let me ask... Are you a fan?  A friend?

[Coach Tuesday]

1 minute ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Coach, I notice you vomiting anytime someone says something negative about Dunne.  Let me ask... Are you a fan?  A friend?

I’d rather talk about the content.

[Mister Defense]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I'm almost 100% certain most of this is coming directly from Shane Waldron, the OC the Bears fired midseason due to incompetence and refusing to do his job of developing Williams.

 

The big story on Waldron was when he straight up refused to watch film with Caleb Williams AT ALL.

 

Williams had to seek outside sources to help him review film and learn what to look for, and even had to setup his own film study room, because Waldron refused to do it with him.

 

Complete coaching malpractice and stealing money from the team.

 

As far as "not knowing how to watch film" and "calling the plays wrong"... yeah, I believe all that was true. Not because Williams has a problem, but because A LOT of quarterbacks come out of college having never huddled, having never called a play, having never even taken a snap from under center (and have to learn how to take the snap, and do their drop-back for the first time as a pro).

 

It's up to the coaching staffs on their pro teams to teach and develop them, and Waldron refused.

 

He was fired midseason due to this incompetence, and is now on a revenge tour after all this came out.

 

I'm not even a Caleb Wiliams fan, but this is just doing him dirty.

 

Shane Waldron is to Caleb Williams as Quinton Spain is the Sean McDermott.

 

 

 

Excellent analysis here.

 

What you say, how dunne 'researches' and 'writes', seems spot on, the pattern--have a target, then choose the limited and extremely biased sources to help you take direct aim. 

 

It is the main reason dunne is not working for someone else, why a reputable news outlet won't touch the clown. No legitimate news organization would let him do what he does--cherry pick his information in ways that show no fairness to the story, the target, and to use comically negative sources for the main points of his article.  Almost any editor would see that for the biased crap that it is.

 

 

[Breakout Squad]

Lots of vomiting here. Gross. 

[gobills404]

Just like that “DAMNING” McDermott hit piece that everybody forgot about within a month.

[hondo in seattle]

I may have told this story before... When I was in Desert Storm, I was told to give unlimited access to a NYT reporter who wanted to interview some soldiers.  One of my soldiers was quoted as saying, “Tell President Bush to get out of his fishing boat in Kennebunkport and come down here.”  That critical remark was noticed by the entire chain of command from the Secretary of Defense on down and caused me a lot of trouble.  But my soldier never said it.  The reporter asked if anyone was willing to have that quote attributed to him.  A young PFC who had said nothing resembling the quote agreed to the attribution.  Some of the soldiers present speculated that the reporter had already written the article on the plane to Saudi and just needed some naive young soldiers to agree to some prewritten quotes.  

 

That's how I feel about Dunne's hit piece on McD.  Dunne had an opinion and sought out people who would support his proposition.  He didn't try very hard to find opposing viewpoints, just enough to claim he made an effort to be balanced.  The main thesis of the article was determined before any interviews were conducted and no contrary view or datapoints could have changed Dunne's poisoned mind.  

 

I liked Dunne before that article and haven't read anything he's written since.  Not because he doesn't like McD.  Lots of folks here don't like McD and I'm fine with that.  But because, for me, Dunne lost all credibility as a journalist with that article.      

[Victory Formation]

I actually like the kid, I think he has great potential..

[Big Turk]

Does he write any other kind of pieces? It's kind of his schtick.

 

Make a living off trashing others.

 

One pretty sh!tty human being.

[bigduke6]

ive seen nothing to this point that tells me Caleb is on his way to actually being a decent QB.