Kurt Warner understands more than most about the quarterback position. He didn’t reach the Hall of Fame by accident. During his long, winding career, he also learned the mistakes teams could make in developing younger guys. While most remember Warner for his incredible runs in St. Louis and Arizona, they often forget he had a brief stint in the mid-2000s with the New York Giants. Here, he learned some lessons about how it can be so easy to mismanage a high draft pick. That lesson could be easily applied to Caleb Williams by the Chicago Bears.
In 2004, the Giants started Warner while keeping #1 overall pick Eli Manning on the bench. However, around the end of November, the team decided to make a switch. It didn’t go well. Manning couldn’t even complete 40% of his passes with one touchdown and six interceptions. The low point came against Baltimore, where he went 4-of-18 for 27 yards and two interceptions. Warner came in to finish the game after Manning was benched. Rather than push to get more playing time, though, the veteran told the coaches they could not do that again.
Last week was a reminder that nothing about this season will be smooth. It never is with rookie quarterbacks. They must let him go out there, make mistakes, and learn how to handle the challenges of the NFL. New York took Warner’s advice. They stuck with Manning for the rest of the year, finishing with five touchdowns and three interceptions, including a win over Dallas in the season finale. This wasn’t the first case of such an approach proving correct. Matthew Stafford endured the same learning experiences in Detroit. Now he’s one of the NFL’s best.
Bears fans aren’t feeling the most patient these days. That is hardly surprising. After getting burned by quarterback missteps for years, they’re dying to say they finally have a franchise guy. Watching Caleb Williams struggle in his debut against Tennessee must’ve stung. Is this another misfire? The Bears didn’t even flinch after the game. It was made clear they knew moments like this were coming. Growing pains are inevitable. The trick is to keep pushing forward. As Williams stacks games, his experience will lead to better play.
Warner always understood that. The hard part is waiting it out.
