I have witnessed a revelation. Dennis Green (Rest in Peace) once wanted to crown our behinds? Let’s make it happen. I have seen enough. I am prepared. I can feel the path ahead.
Let us crown Caleb Williams! He is the real deal. He is authentic. It is unfolding (in the spirit of the Steve Carrell Office GIF)!
What you are witnessing now is the emergence of a remarkable quarterback. Caleb’s pre-snap control is extraordinary. Is he making errors? Absolutely. Will he make more? Without a doubt.
You have observed Jay Cutler. You have seen Mitch Trubisky. You have witnessed Justin Fields. Have you ever seen them as active presnap as Williams? Have you seen him adjusting alignments? Have you seen him changing plays? Have you seen them altering protections?
Have you witnessed the center turning around and exclaiming to his QB, “We’ve got fire, man!” only to have the QB respond, “I’ve got it!” and promptly pass the ball to the sidelines to Cole Kmet for a 6-yard gain?
The physical talent is evident, but we have seen QBs in Chicago with physical talent in the past. We have not seen the level of processing, and we are witnessing a QB evolving and learning at a remarkable pace.
When Williams drops back to pass, do you observe his head movement? Do you notice the swivel? Do you see him surveying the pocket and immediately turning his eyes downfield? Do you see him checking BEHIND HIMSELF to gauge the tackles’ positions so he knows where he can step up?
I am not sure if you recall Peyton Manning’s rookie season. And I do not mean you were born in 1989 and were 9 years old, I mean when you truly comprehended football and witnessed the development of a QB who was clearly grasping the game.
But here’s the clincher, Manning did not progress at this rate. Caleb Williams seldom repeats the same mistake. This growth is unprecedented.
If you crave statistics, his QB rating is escalating every week. If you fancy advanced analytics, his EPA/Play has increased each week this year. But if you, like me, rely on the eye test, you are witnessing it. You know you are witnessing it.
Perhaps you thought you glimpsed it with Trubisky. Maybe you were dazzled by the athleticism and believed you saw it with Fields. This is distinct. Search your inner self. You know I am correct.
At some point, Williams will inevitably have a game where he is not quite as stellar as the previous week. Chances are it will be this week in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It is challenging to play and outperform his performance against Carolina. But the progression is undeniable.
I grew up with Jim McMahon. I learned the game with Jim Harbaugh. I agonized through Shane Matthews, Jim Miller, Rex Grossman, and Kyle Orton. I thought they overspent on Jay Cutler. I was baffled by the Mitch Trubisky selection. I naively believed that Fields would break the curse. But this feels unlike anything before.
The Chicago Bears now possess a quarterback.
Wait, scratch that.
The Chicago Bears now boast a phenomenal quarterback.
By the conclusion of this season, Caleb Williams will have left an indelible mark on this league. This is not to say he will reach the echelon of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson. However, there is a window for him to be recognized as a top-ten quarterback in the league, and by January, he will leave no doubts that he has achieved just that.
The anticipation is over, ladies and gentlemen. The Chicago Bears now have a bona fide NFL quarterback.
Quick Hits
- Caleb Williams is on track to break the Bears’ rookie passing record for yards and touchdowns in his 11th game.
- Caleb Williams is projected to surpass 3700 yards passing, the third-highest total in Chicago Bears history.
- If you extrapolate Caleb Williams’ yardage averages from weeks two to five over 16 games and add the 93 yards from week one, he would achieve 4,000 passing yards, a first in Chicago Bears history.
- Maintaining his current touchdown passing rate, Caleb Williams is set to throw 25 touchdown passes this season, the fifth-highest in Bears history.
- Caleb Williams has thrown fewer interceptions in five games than Jordan Love in three games.
- With an average of 218 passing yards per game in his initial five games, Caleb Williams boasts the fourth-best career rate in Chicago Bears history.
- Caleb Williams is poised to become the Bears’ second all-time passing leader by his fourth season.
- Caleb Williams’ passer rating already ranks as the seventh highest in team history and continues to climb.
- Caleb Williams’ completion percentage is already the sixth highest in team history.
- Caleb f*#%king Williams