Bear Digest

Bears legend reveals when Caleb Williams won him over

The leader of the Chicago Bears' last Super Bowl run was an early buyer on QB1.
Pete Martuneac|
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Despite being the consensus first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Caleb Williams was, and remains to this day, a polarizing quarterback. Many fans and analysts doubted whether his 'backyard' style of football would transfer to the NFL. As his rookie season progressed, the chaos of the Bears' coaching failures created a parade of think pieces proclaiming Williams a bust, or at best, a mediocre player. Thankfully, Williams' second season is converting the doubters into believers, especially after he led the Bears' sensational comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 16

Not everyone needed to be convinced, however. Most Bears fans were fully bought in on Williams, even before the draft. A few analysts were also early believers, including the legendary Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Urlacher, the heart and soul of the last Bears team to reach the Super Bowl, appeared on the Fitz & Whit podcast with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth. Fitzpatrick asked Urlacher when Williams won him over as the franchise quarterback of the Chicago Bears, and Urlacher made his feelings clear.

"I liked him since day one," Urlacher replied. "Dude's a good football player... probably the most athletic quarterback in the NFL. Cannon [of an arm] by the way."

But Urlacher didn't stop there. He went on to praise head coach Ben Johnson for the work he's doing to salvage Williams' career, saying, "And Ben's obviously changed his trajectory in the right direction. Now, I think the more time he spends with Ben the better he's gonna get."

Coming from a first ballot Hall of Fame linebacker, that's high praise indeed. Urlacher never had the luxury of playing with a quarterback with as much potential as Williams, but he can see that No. 18 is head and shoulders above any quarterback in recent franchise history.

Belief in Williams must still be rewarded with accolades

Indeed, Williams has already proven the biggest haters wrong. We've seen enough from the 24-year-old to know that he's not a bust and is on pace to be the best quarterback from his class. But Williams must still prove he's the elite quarterback he was drafted to be, the one who finally brings a second Super Bowl title to Chicago.

In that regard, Williams has a long way to go. His accuracy has improved, but he must become more consistent. He needs to be more decisive on when to scramble and when to throw the ball away. And there's probably much more to Ben Johnson's playbook that Williams must master.

Bears fans believe that Williams can do all of this and more. They believe that he's the franchise savior the city's been waiting decades for. Clinching the NFC North championship is a good start, but postseason accolades must begin to roll in sooner rather than later.

Caleb William
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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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