Bear Digest

Analysts See Success Ahead for Caleb Williams and Bears

Positive comparisons and analysis from the talk show circuit and social media see big things for the new Bears QB, their defense and also Matt Eberflus.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams has won over more support and his throws on video are setting Bears fans off on social media.
Caleb Williams has won over more support and his throws on video are setting Bears fans off on social media. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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Analysts are flocking to the Bears from all sides now, it seems, as the bandwagon begins rolling.

Whether it's quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receiver Rome Odunze or even the Bears defense and coach Matt Eberflus, momentum is building in media and social media behind a team without a division title since 2018 and a playoff victory since the 2010-11 postseason.

Williams has former NFL backup Chase Daniel, a Bears backup for two years, predicting Chicago will finally have its first 4,000-yard passer—or will at some point in the future.

'Look, I know it's OTAs, I'm not worried about that," Daniel said. "I get it."

The optimism from Daniel resulted from OTAs. A series of videos put out by the team from practices featured Williams throwing and one had him doing it on the run to his left to tight end Gerald Everett.

"When most quarterbacks go to scramble, they go to the right," Daniel points out. "This dude goes to his left. He's one of the better throwers I've ever seen going to the left."

Daniel backed Williams as one of the best quarterbacks before the draft but was not entirely sold on him and had claimed then some teams were not "excited about" his ability to recall and talk about plays when they interviewed him at the combine. However, he called it only a minor point at the time.

At the same time, Fox host Colin Cowherd was talking to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the former NFL receiver and trainer for Bears rookie receiver Odunze. Cowherd said he had received a text from a former NFL quarterback paying Williams a huge compliment.

"He will be Larry Fitzgerald," was what Cowherd said was in the text. "He could run the league in 10 years."

Houshmandzadeh wasn't surprised and said he has made this comparison himself.

"Rome is just that type of dude," Houshmandzadeh said. "He's just, like, he's just going to do the right thing all the time not because he has to think abot it. That's who he is. That's just who he is as a person. But he's talented, man."

How talented?

"I can't compare him to anybody and the closest person that I can get to is Larry Fitzgerald, but he's faster," Houshmandzadeh said. 

Houshmandzadeh then laid this one on Cowherd regarding Odunze: "He can be quite possibly the best receiver of this draft and this may be the best receiver draft we've ever seen."

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The Bears defense and Eberflus continue drawing high praise from college football and Thursday night NFL announcer Kirk Herbstreit. In an appearance on Pat McAFee's ESPN Show, Herbstreit explained why he continues to believe the Bears can become a turnaround team in the mold of the Lions.

"I told you about Montez Sweat ... coming over, they got healthy in their secondary, their defense is incredible with the pickups that they had at linebacker going into last year," Herbstreit said.

It's not just the talent. Herbstreit said he's come around on Eberflus, as well.

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"I'd get on a zoom with him to get ready to call a game and he just has, like, authentic energy, that I think his players really rallied around and believed in," Herbstreit told McAfee. "And I thought maybe initially it was just kind of show, but as it went on and I saw how the team responded to him, I thought, man, this team, I think really likes this guy and they're really responding to him."

The personnel moves they made after a strong finish, adding Keenan Allen and Odunze to DJ Moore, and then drafting Williams, only reinforced Herbstreit's belief they can make a big jump.

"Now that's putting a lot on Caleb but at least they put more pieces around him than Justin (Fields) had to work with. So I'm excited to see what happens there," Herbstreit said.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.