ANY GIVEN SUNDAY: Caleb Williams Is Capable of Things Bears Fans Wouldn't Believe
The rookie quarterback out of USC has a chance to be the Bears's savior, especially at a position that has been a laughingstock.
Up until this point, you would be correct if you argued with a fan at a sticky Chicago sports bar that the greatest quarterback in Chicago Bears history was Sid Luckman. The Brooklyn native, born to German-Jewish immigrants, led the Bears to four NFL championships, was named the MVP of the entire league in 1943, got his number forty-two retired by the Bears, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. With the NFL being a ten-team league during Luckman’s reign, it makes sense that his accomplishments don’t get talked about much. After all, he played during a time where they didn’t even have the Super Bowls, or protected helmets. However, it can be argued that he was the first great passer in NFL history, despite the primitive skills that players possessed in the 1940’s. Luckman was better than his competition, particularly at throwing under center, a skill that is startlingly scarce when you look at the numbers in the NFL at that time. It wasn’t only something he was good at; he believed in it before everyone else did. When Luckman threw for over 443 yards in one game in the 1943 season, it was the first 400 yard passing game in NFL history. To that point, there wasn’t a player like him. The present boom in statistics for quarterbacks, and the general amnesia people get as time passes, has made Luckman insignificant. Still, he is probably, at this point, the best quarterback in Bears history. Some might wonder why Jim McMahon, the rabble rousing, undoubtedly mobile, and tough quarterback isn’t the greatest quarterback in Bears history. Despite being the quarterback on possibly the most famous Super Bowl winning team of all-time — the ‘85 Bears started something compelling in their marketing schemes that not many teams did before them — the inconsistency and the arguments with the league put a disappointing dent in what should have been a better career. His appetite for pain and fame turned him into a white boy superstar; it also made his career less statistically strong as it could have been. It’s comical to hear the other names in the running: Rex Grossman is more famous for blowing the Super Bowl against the Colts than he is for any decent games he might have had that season; Kyle Orton was a game manager incarnate, a modest commodity in a season where the Bears needed a IPO; Jay Cutler was all arm and no passion, the rare talent that cared about nothing but cashing the check.
Since the Bears history at the quarterback position is so inadequate, it’s become commonplace for people to think that new rookie Caleb Williams is going to be the best quarterback in history. It could be tough for a casual fan, seemingly one that hasn’t seen the mountain of showstopping highlights that Williams has, to imagine a world where he steps in and immediately changes this merger history that the Bears have. But, what a wonderful world it could be if he does: Williams is a youthful star, throws the ball with a spiral as tight as a West Village’s girl dress during Fashion Week, and has some zesty components to his personality. First, he’s a fashion nerd — he and his girlfriend hit the Louis Vuitton show in Paris — and he’s strikingly handsome with a perfectly trimmed beard that will remind you of Drake. He hit the NFL Draft in a Chrome Hearts Suit that would be more suited for a night out at The Odeon, more than it would for the draft in the most violent leagues in sports and most capitalist entities in the world. I sometimes think that he should be acting in a Tyler Perry movie in replace of the stereotypical Michael Ealy role. In a Hard Knocks episode, he debuted a green Goyard bag which is priced at $2,275.00. Not to mention, Williams paints his nails, an action that has made people act like the homophobic and alcoholic dad in Friday Night Lights. (The movie, obviously, not that television show that goofy TV fans like to watch). It’s creative and artsy, something akin to Dennis Rodman more than it is to Michael Jordan. In a very hypermasculine world, on a team known for their hard hitting linebackers and shifty running backs, it would be beyond football people to be eager about Williams’s various identities and passions. He is not just an oatmeal eating douche; for Williams, football is one of many passions. He loves it, but it does not define him.
There’s been backlash to this, albeit very corny backlash: Former New York Giants wide receiver wondered whether teammates would want to be led by a player who paints his nails. (In a bizarre clip, he compares Williams to the heteronormative Russell Wilson, which makes no sense at all, considering how annoyingly Christian Russell Wilson always seems to be). A Notre Damer fan, presumably a Catholic who showers after inserting himself into a distaff partner, ran up to Williams after Notre Dame upset USC and said “let me see those nails bro.” Williams, who is smart enough to understand the antagonistic and distrusting relationship that Black people have with the University of Notre Dame, said that “lions never worry about the opinion of sheep.” Everybody — from fans, to the people who paint the yardage signs on the field, to the players themselves — know that there is a peculiar distinctiveness to athletes now, but Football is still lagging behind in that respect. Not that there isn’t personality, but it is rather that everything is a function of what has already transpired. How can we be surprised in the NFL anymore? We’ve seen Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson turn into Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift; we’ve seen Michael Vick become Lamar Jackson. The league has bounced back from the Trump era, and ratings are back, despite the fact it lags in cultural respectability. There’s always the air of Colin Kaepernick and the collusion against him.
Williams, however, is vibrant and new. His skill level is the key. He isn’t a runner; he isn’t Byron Leftwich either. His game is limitless, removing any of the restraints that coaches and scouts put on quarterbacks of color who run, and removing any of the biases that exist as well. All of the nail polish in the world, or the Riddler-colored purses, won’t stop that arm from whistling like Omar from The Wire as long as he stays upright. General Manager Ryan Poles — whom my Boston College–graduate father would like people to know, went to Boston College — has put weapons around him. They shall prosper, too: D.J. Moore is elite, and just re-upped with the team for 110 million over four years after an excellent season of 93 catches for 1,364 yards. (Moore had a little issue with dropped passes in Carolina. Last season, his percentage went down to 2.9 vs 6.1 in his second to last year in Carolina. If that continues, look out for Williams to be looking for Moore quite a bit). Keenan Allen, Mr. Ol’ Reliable, is also new in the Windy City from the Chargers. Allen is a gift for every quarterback to have — the kind of safety net that can gain extra yardage after the catch. He’s made a career of moving in motion, lining up wide, and hitting the holes in defenses. Finally, there is the first round pick from the University of Washington, Rome Odunze, who is 6’3 and a deep target for Williams. (He made the catch in another highlight that I linked). Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, of the Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll tree, will have Williams moving outside the pocket on drop-backs, and will probably limit a little of the play-action that he did with the Seahawks. The Bears have made it so Williams can step right in and succeed, but there’s also not to be any excuses. They have the talent to win now, and perhaps compete for a playoff spot. (The division is tight, however, with the Lions and the Packers both being playoff teams with their own dynamic roster).
It remains to be seen how Williams deals with contact, pressure; and his height — at only 6 '1, isn’t specimen-material, so he will have to be successful on the sidelines to help him. Still, he can sling it, and then some. USC has a complicated history with quarterbacks, but Williams was a transfer, and with his arm talent, he is a better prospect than Mark Sanchez or Matt Leinart, and even Carson Palmer, were. It’s difficult to know whether he is a generational talent — because first of all, that phrase is used too much — and secondly, he hasn’t played any games yet, but there are plays he made in the preseason that only two quarterbacks in the league make and both of those men are future Hall of Famers. The expectations are high, scarily so, for Bears fans. However, this time, the talent level is just as high.
GAME OF THE WEEK:
I am still deciding what I want this section of the column to be about. The section above will be what this piece was, a column about a player who is compelling, or a team that is playing well. I do not gamble; but I don’t begrudge anyone who does, so in the upcoming weeks, I might make some picks. If not, I will definitely highlight a second player who played well the week prior. This week, I will write about the game of the week, and it is Monday night’s matchup: Jets/49ers. While the 49ers are a team that strikes me as somewhat boring, Rodgers' led Jets are one of the league’s most compelling teams. The thing about Rodgers is that he is 40-years-old, and not very fun anymore, especially if you are someone who gets the creeps from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But, he might still be good at football. Look for the Jets to try to get the rhythm going quickly on the road against San Francisco. The Jets can out-gun this team, but it is the defense without Hassan Reddick that I am particularly worried about against the Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers. PREDICTION: 30-24, 49ers.