If you’re a fan of the Chicago Bears, who goes back at least a decade, you’ve probably heard the name Rick Morrissey at least once. He is one of the primary columnists for the Chicago Sun-Times. While an excellent writer, he also has a reputation for being what sports fans would call “pessimistic.” Nothing sums this up better than his stance on the Bears quarterback position. While many people have bought into the man moves the organization has made at that spot over the past several years, Morrissey has been a consistent dissenting voice. Caleb Williams is probably in store for some biting quips.
He was the first to voice his overall lack of intrigue with Mitch Trubisky after the Bears drafted him #2 overall in 2017.
Two years later, he was one of the first to say the team had to move on from Trubisky after watching him get thoroughly outdueled by Patrick Mahomes. Then, in 2021, mere days after the Bears drafted Justin Fields, Morrissey voiced serious doubts about the selection.
“You’ll forgive me my cynicism. I’ve been here before. So have many of you. The difference between you and me is one thing: renewable belief. I don’t believe the Bears would know a good quarterback if one threw a pass through their sternums…
…No, we never learn. I hope Fields turns out to be the answer to the Bears’ decades-long inability to find a star at the position, but history, especially as it has been written by Pace, tells me Fields probably won’t be.”
He has plenty of ammunition. It’s another high pick with a reputation for holding the ball too long at times. It’s still the Bears. Their history hasn’t changed. So, one can imagine it was shocking when Morrissey wrote this.
“I thought I was immune to this sort of thing. Apparently not. I have to admit to some uncomfortable feelings about the way I sprinted to enlist in the Caleb Williams Army of Converts. Totally out of character for me, a confirmed Bears quarterback unbeliever. I think Williams is going to be really, really good. I’ve written it several times. And after years of writing off pretty much every Bears quarterback for the last two decades, that ranks as stunning.”
The latest is getting voted a team captain in his first year. No rookie quarterback has ever accomplished that feat in franchise history. It is a sign that he has already established himself as a viable leader in the locker room. Keep in mind these were picks by head coach Matt Eberflus. It was voted on by the locker room. That means players already have a high opinion of Williams. This isn’t even mentioning some of the tantalizing flashes he showed in the preseason.
Morrissey has been saddled with some brutal quarterback play during his quarter-century covering Chicago. Cade McNown and Rex Grossman were once considered saviors. Kyle Orton is viewed as one of the bright spots of the 2000s. That should give you an idea of why the man has trust issues. For Caleb Williams to thaw the ice in that heart is a hopeful sign the Bears finally got it right. It merely drives the excitement to get the season started even higher.
