Caleb Williams doesn’t need extra motivation to succeed in the NFL. He’s the No. 1 overall pick for the Chicago Bears, the NFL’s charter franchise that hasn’t seen a franchise quarterback in decades. Becoming a superstar for the Bears alone would make him a living god in Chicago and the larger NFL circle in general. Full stop.
But that doesn’t mean Williams isn’t still taking tabs on all the criticism he gets. He actually seems to read all the hate because he wants to channel it into good, quality, competitive energy.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Williams revealed that he screenshots all the criticism he sees about himself online. Why?
He wants to store it for later and use it for motivation.
“The other part, and this feeds into knowing myself, is all athletes try to act like they don’t see it. I see it, and I use it,” Williams says. “I take screenshots of people. People don’t know it. I have notes and things that I screenshot. I save the links, all of that. I use it.”
That’s right, folks. When people were ripping Williams for crying with his parents after a tough USC loss, he almost certainly read all the “backlash.” When people were coming at him for simply expressing himself by painting his nails, he probably kept tabs on that, too. Knowing all that, it’s definitely not a stretch to assume Williams is watching everyone who calls him “overrated” and “overhyped” as he tries to elevate the Bears out of dormancy.
Just like another generational athlete:
“There’s always something,” Williams continues. “LeBron [James] always says, and has said before, he only needs one thing. He [James] walks into the stadium, all he needs is one fan, one thing through the week or before the game. Some of it is motivation and some of it is psyching yourself out. That’s the other part. It’s knowing myself. It’s knowing what I like to know, how I like to do things. I know how hard I work. I know the confidence that I have, from my work that I’ve put in for many, many years now.”
Man, I almost kind of got chills down my spine reading that. It appears like it really only takes one person to say something out of turn, something even a little out of bounds, to spin Williams into a frenzy. That’s fantastic news for Bears fans, as their quarterback will be under an intense microscope most other NFL players would likely falter under. It’s awful news for anyone expecting Williams to fall short in his NFL mission.
Of course, Williams still has to deliver. However, something tells me that this thought process is exactly what will help Williams reach his immense potential. In an athletic context, hate is really often much stronger than love. Don’t get it twisted.
Be careful what you say online, everyone. Williams is watching.
