Caleb Williams had plenty of critics going into the NFL draft. None of them questioned his ability. All felt he had the arm talent and improvisational skills to be a good player in the league. Their issues centered around his perceived lack of emotional maturity. It was painting his nails, wearing dresses to charity events, and crying in his mother’s arms after a tough loss to Utah. There was no way this kid was anywhere close to ready for the pressure cooker that playing in a city like Chicago was.
However, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero isn’t so sure. He stood in as the host of The Rich Eisen Show, where he talked about Williams. Based on everything he’s heard from and about the quarterback over the past few months, he’s now convinced the young man is far better equipped to handle Chicago than people realize. Part of his reasoning is having grown up watching and idolizing Michael Jordan. People also questioned whether he could handle the challenge of playing in this city. However, it became clear early on that Jordan had a type of personality that wouldn’t be affected by it.
Williams seems to have a similar mindset.
It was on him during his high school career when he was the best player in the District of Columbia and won the league championship on a Hail Mary. Then, he attended both Oklahoma and USC in college, two blue-blood programs with massive national followings. High expectations and pressure have surrounded most of his football career. There is no reason to think playing for the Bears would suddenly intimidate him. Passionate fans are passionate fans. Chicago’s are no different from what he encountered in Los Angeles.
His goal is to play good football, something most Bears quarterbacks haven’t done over the past 80 years. Caleb Williams wants to make history by becoming the first to reach superstardom in the Super Bowl era. What Pelissero said is true. If the quarterback achieved that goal, he’d be the biggest thing in this city since Jordan. There is no arguing that. The Bears have done everything in their power to help. They’ve built a strong situation around him. All he has to do is go out and execute.
