Internet Roasts Caleb Williams for Bears QB's Initial Reaction to Injury

If you felt a light gust of wind right around noon eastern time, that was probably the collective sigh of relief coming from millions of Chicago Bears fans around the world as NFL insider Tom Pelissero broke the news that quarterback Caleb Williams' hamstring injury is not significant. In fact, he could even play next Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

This comes as a tremendous stroke of luck for the Bears. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent stepped in after Caleb Williams' injury and failed to impress. Sure, it was only 10 snaps on a sloppy field under interminable rainfall, but that doesn't change the fact that the Bears' postseason hopes would have already been imperiled if Williams was expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks.

However, the rosy results from Williams' Monday morning MRI brought a question to the minds of many: what was with the cart? Following his sideline evaluation yesterday, Williams was removed from the field on a cart just before the first injury update, leading speculation of a season-ending injury to run wild on social media. Somewhat predictably, social media quickly turned the cart into a series of jokes once fears of a major injury had been assuaged.

Podcasters have been having a field day now that Caleb Williams dodged a bullet

Will Compton of the Bussin' With the Boys podcast called Williams out on X, apparently bemused by Williams' initial reaction to the injury, which included a loud scream and no small amount of writhing. It's worth noting that former NFL player and Chicago Bears guard Kyle Long responded none-too-kindly to Compton's post.

Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports also trash-talked Williams on a podcast appearance, mocking the apparent pain Williams was in despite the injury being mild. However, one Bears fan came up with an all-time receipt by pulling the replay of a 2015 injury to Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots, Portnoy's favorite team. Like Williams, Gronkowski appeared to be in great pain, though his injury ended up being nothing more than a Grade 1 knee strain, but Portnoy's reaction to that injury was far more respectful, even concerned.

While it's a relief that Williams did not suffer a major, season-ending injury, and I have to believe that these jokes would not have been made had that been the case, these are little more than cheap shots that play on a common misconception of Williams as a 'soft' player. Even after being sacked 68 times in his rookie year, Williams never missed a game, not even one snap. If he's ruled out next week, that will in fact be his first absence in an NFL game.

Furthermore, no one can judge how that injury felt in the moment but Williams himself. It's not uncommon for mild injuries to manifest as a sudden, sharp pain, which may have happened with Williams. The man's a top-notch competitor, why would he not cry out upon falling to the turf with a sudden shooting pain in his leg, especially when he didn't know yet that it wasn't a major issue?

As for the cart, I highly doubt Williams asked to be carted to the locker room. As we see in practice, the cart is frequently brought out for players out of an abundance of caution. They still did not yet know the severity of Williams' injury, so why would they have him walk across a soggy, sloppy field on a hurt leg?

The Bottom Line

As aforementioned, I'll give Portnoy, Compton, and others the benefit of the doubt and assume that had Williams' hamstring injury been more severe, they would not be cracking jokes about it. However, their incredulity remains misguided. Williams has proven time and time again to be one of the toughest players in the NFL, and he probably played through pain for his entire rookie season.

He didn't ask to be carted to the locker room. In all likelihood, that was just a precautionary measure. And his initial reaction is nothing to laugh about since none of us can ever possibly know what kind of pain he felt in the moment.

Those cracking the most jokes may end up eating their words, however. Williams has a reputation of using doubters and nay-sayers as motivation, even sharing social media posts that call him out. You have to believe that, as he's beginning to rehab his hamstring, he's seeing what's being said about him. I'd hate to be the defense that Williams faces first upon his return.

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