Caleb Williams News and Rumor thread

[The Cooler King]

For jersey/number geeks, it appears as though NFL.com custom shop won't let you order customizable jerseys with 13 Allen or 18 Williams

[Yogi da Bear]

For jersey/number geeks, it appears as though NFL.com custom shop won't let you order customizable jerseys with 13 Allen or 18 Williams

[dplank]

Fargin Iceholes

[grendel2000]

Fargin Iceholes

He'll cut your farging bells off!

[Bearfacts]

One of my all time favorite movies with one of my all time favorite actors. I see they just released a second Beetlejuice movie I have to see.

[thunderspirit]

I love that stupid movie.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Not exactly a surprise, but Caleb Williams will be present at the draft.

Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are also expected to be there.

MHJ, Nabers, Odunze and Thomas have confirmed their attendance along with Dallas Turner and Laiatu Latu. J.C. Latham is the only offensive tackle who will be present.

[Grizzled]

From Aaron Schatz, a top analytics guy at ESPN: 75% chance that Caleb Williams will be an adequate starter, 21% chance that he's elite: "Williams is the consensus top QB in the draft for good reason. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 and followed it up with a very strong 2023. He threw for more yards per attempt (9.36) and had a higher completion rate (68.6%) than he did in 2022 despite USC's overall struggles. He has an elite arn and exceptional playmaking ability, which is reflected in both his passing and rushing numbers. In addition, he a track of success, excelling ever since he took Spencer Rattler's starting job at Oklahoma in 2021."

While there have been many Mahomes comparisons, others are making the comparison to Aaron Rodgers, his abilities to play within structure in the pocket to create passing windows but also to improv when needed. Others have said that, in a draft which would have included the trio of Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Williams, he would be the #1 pick. So he has the dual pressures of living up to a #1 pick and also playing in the Chicago Bataan QB Death March.

[The Kaiser]

Joel Klatt's explanation on why he thinks Caleb is elite.

Good stuff and definitely worth getting pumped about as a Bears fan.

[Rusty Trombagent]

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Please tell me he means "my lady's dress".

[Rusty Trombagent]

Please tell me he means "my lady's dress".

[Bearfacts]

From Aaron Schatz, a top analytics guy at ESPN: 75% chance that Caleb Williams will be an adequate starter, 21% chance that he's elite: "Williams is the consensus top QB in the draft for good reason. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 and followed it up with a very strong 2023. He threw for more yards per attempt (9.36) and had a higher completion rate (68.6%) than he did in 2022 despite USC's overall struggles. He has an elite arn and exceptional playmaking ability, which is reflected in both his passing and rushing numbers. In addition, he a track of success, excelling ever since he took Spencer Rattler's starting job at Oklahoma in 2021."

While there have been many Mahomes comparisons, others are making the comparison to Aaron Rodgers, his abilities to play within structure in the pocket to create passing windows but also to improv when needed. Others have said that, in a draft which would have included the trio of Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Williams, he would be the #1 pick. So he has the dual pressures of living up to a #1 pick and also playing in the Chicago Bataan QB Death March.

Comparisons to Mahomes and Rodgers. Ranked ahead of Burrows and Lawrence in the same draft. Elite arm. Exceptional play making skills. Rushing ability. High completion percentage. All of that praise and yet he only give him a 21% chance of being elite? Is that because it's the Bears who'll draft him?

[dplank]

From Aaron Schatz, a top analytics guy at ESPN: 75% chance that Caleb Williams will be an adequate starter, 21% chance that he's elite: "Williams is the consensus top QB in the draft for good reason. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 and followed it up with a very strong 2023. He threw for more yards per attempt (9.36) and had a higher completion rate (68.6%) than he did in 2022 despite USC's overall struggles. He has an elite arn and exceptional playmaking ability, which is reflected in both his passing and rushing numbers. In addition, he a track of success, excelling ever since he took Spencer Rattler's starting job at Oklahoma in 2021."

While there have been many Mahomes comparisons, others are making the comparison to Aaron Rodgers, his abilities to play within structure in the pocket to create passing windows but also to improv when needed. Others have said that, in a draft which would have included the trio of Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Williams, he would be the #1 pick. So he has the dual pressures of living up to a #1 pick and also playing in the Chicago Bataan QB Death March.

Comparisons to Mahomes and Rodgers. Ranked ahead of Burrows and Lawrence in the same draft. Elite arm. Exceptional play making skills. Rushing ability. High completion percentage. All of that praise and yet he only give him a 21% chance of being elite? Is that because it's the Bears who'll draft him?

That’s because highly touted QBs still rarely become elite pros. The odds are what they are, and the forecasting is near impossible. Always remember that most GMs had Trubisky a better prospect than Mahomes. Not all, but most. That’s how futile forecasting college QBs is, no matter how much tape you watch.

[grendel2000]

Comparisons to Mahomes and Rodgers. Ranked ahead of Burrows and Lawrence in the same draft. Elite arm. Exceptional play making skills. Rushing ability. High completion percentage. All of that praise and yet he only give him a 21% chance of being elite? Is that because it's the Bears who'll draft him?

That’s because highly touted QBs still rarely become elite pros. The odds are what they are, and the forecasting is near impossible. Always remember that most GMs had Trubisky a better prospect than Mahomes. Not all, but most. That’s how futile forecasting college QBs is, no matter how much tape you watch.

That's because the factors that make the difference between success and failure at the pro level are largely between the ears so they aren't necessarily easy to break out on tape other than indirectly. It's obviously easy to measure things like height, arm strength and speed. It's much harder to measure things like "decision making" or "leadership" or even "accuracy" since we don't always know where the QB was trying to throw vs where the ball actually went...

[dplank]

That’s because highly touted QBs still rarely become elite pros. The odds are what they are, and the forecasting is near impossible. Always remember that most GMs had Trubisky a better prospect than Mahomes. Not all, but most. That’s how futile forecasting college QBs is, no matter how much tape you watch.

That's because the factors that make the difference between success and failure at the pro level are largely between the ears so they aren't necessarily easy to break out on tape other than indirectly. It's obviously easy to measure things like height, arm strength and speed. It's much harder to measure things like "decision making" or "leadership" or even "accuracy" since we don't always know where the QB was trying to throw vs where the ball actually went...

This was the point I kept making during “the war era” (looking at you G08) as to why it made zero difference if I played make believe scout or not. I never questioned what I’d see , he was awesome in college and was gonna look awesome on YouTube. My concern was always about the part you can’t really project, like these that you mention. If professionals can’t project it, I sure as hell can’t.

I’m hoping our 1:5 bet pays off, cause if it doesn’t then a trade down haul was the right move.

[Bearfacts]

Comparisons to Mahomes and Rodgers. Ranked ahead of Burrows and Lawrence in the same draft. Elite arm. Exceptional play making skills. Rushing ability. High completion percentage. All of that praise and yet he only give him a 21% chance of being elite? Is that because it's the Bears who'll draft him?

That’s because highly touted QBs still rarely become elite pros. The odds are what they are, and the forecasting is near impossible. Always remember that most GMs had Trubisky a better prospect than Mahomes. Not all, but most. That’s how futile forecasting college QBs is, no matter how much tape you watch.

I really kinda meant it as an attempt at a little black humor. On the serious side I have to wonder why anyone would even bother with an analysis like that unless someone is making book on it. Who even cares? Que sera, sera.

[artbest01]

Imo, Justin Fields’ lack of development as a passer made trading back for yet another “haul” unlikely. A struggling 4th year QB with a 5th year option decision looming likely made acquiring a quality oc problematic and set the stage for the kind of QB uncertainty now facing Minnesota and Las Vegas.

Having another teams’ pick - the #1 pick at that - while having a top 10 pick of their own, in a year with a strong QB class - made moving on from Justin and taking a QB #1 a virtual lock.

Justin Fields simply wasn’t good enough - and the league seemed to agree by viewing him as a backup - to change the narrative

[dplank]

Imo, Justin Fields’ lack of development as a passer made trading back for yet another “haul” unlikely. A struggling 4th year QB with a 5th year option decision looming likely made acquiring a quality oc problematic and set the stage for the kind of QB uncertainty now facing Minnesota and Las Vegas.

Having another teams’ pick - the #1 pick at that - while having a top 10 pick of their own, in a year with a strong QB class - made moving on from Justin and taking a QB #1 a virtual lock.

Justin Fields simply wasn’t good enough - and the league seemed to agree by viewing him as a backup - to change the narrative

Several other scenarios were available, this wasn’t a linear choice.

[artbest01]

Perhaps - IF the bears believe(d) that Maye and/or Daniels are near, at or above where they rank Caleb Williams. Even then, hard to say, unsubstantiated rumors aside, what the Bears would have received in return to move down 1 or 2 spots.

Regardless, unless this is the smokescreen of all smokescreens, the bears clearly value Caleb far more than any other QB prospect. He’s the only ine who visited Halas Hall and, to date, Caleb has only undergone a physical for one team - the Bears.

Again, the “let’s trade down for a 2023-like haul” likely went out the window when Justin failed to make the jump. The Cleveland browns are exhibit a-z of a team that maximized draft capital but failed to secure a force multiplier at QB. That clearly wasn’t Poles’ strategy once a pick he acquired on top of his own rose to #1.

Now, if Williams busts out, he will likely pay the ultimate price for that. If poles’ time in KC - where the Chiefs brain trust had Mahomes ranked a clear #1, Watson #2 and Mitch a distant 3rd - bore fruit, maybe, for the first time in decades, the Bears will get the QB right


quote=dplank post_id=380123 time=1713114624 user_id=1910]

Imo, Justin Fields’ lack of development as a passer made trading back for yet another “haul” unlikely. A struggling 4th year QB with a 5th year option decision looming likely made acquiring a quality oc problematic and set the stage for the kind of QB uncertainty now facing Minnesota and Las Vegas.

Having another teams’ pick - the #1 pick at that - while having a top 10 pick of their own, in a year with a strong QB class - made moving on from Justin and taking a QB #1 a virtual lock.

Justin Fields simply wasn’t good enough - and the league seemed to agree by viewing him as a backup - to change the narrative

Several other scenarios were available, this wasn’t a linear choice.
[/quote]

[The Marshall Plan]

Imo, Justin Fields’ lack of development as a passer made trading back for yet another “haul” unlikely. A struggling 4th year QB with a 5th year option decision looming likely made acquiring a quality oc problematic and set the stage for the kind of QB uncertainty now facing Minnesota and Las Vegas.

Having another teams’ pick - the #1 pick at that - while having a top 10 pick of their own, in a year with a strong QB class - made moving on from Justin and taking a QB #1 a virtual lock.

Justin Fields simply wasn’t good enough - and the league seemed to agree by viewing him as a backup - to change the narrative

Several other scenarios were available, this wasn’t a linear choice.

Brother, you got to let this go for now. It's April.

It was you and me back-to-back to the end on this, but JF1 is gone.

I know as Bears Fans our lives have been riddled with QB bullshit almost too long to list and we still bring it up from time to time.

But this one with JF1 is raw. I don't like it that he's gone, but my mind is on figuring out how to make Caleb Williams successful.

The alternative thought process to that is an insanity driven Event Horizon into a black hole of analysis about Why Justin Fields "Failed" In Chicago.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Several other scenarios were available, this wasn’t a linear choice.

Nah, it was binary. Keep Fields and trade the pick or keep the pick to ensure getting the QB of your choice, with Williams being the consensus number one option.

No GM will ever gamble and risk losing their first choice QB even if he has another QB highly ranked.

[o-pus #40 in B major]

TMP is right.

What in the heck are we talking about Fields in this Caleb Williams thread for - it just pisses people off all over again.

Be a good sport Art - just leave it alone.

[The Marshall Plan]

TMP is right.

What in the heck are we talking about Fields in this Caleb Williams thread for - it just pisses people off all over again.

Be a good sport Art - just leave it alone.

That's the other half to the equation here.

Let's not gang up on Plank or anybody else about JF1.

There are people that need to stop Poking The Bear (no pun intended) with this topic. Just let it go.

It's over and done with.

[Rusty Trombagent]

Yes, lets PLEASE get this back on track and talk about what matters: There is a slim chance that Caleb is going to wear a dress to the nfl draft and I have never been more excited.

[Bearfacts]

As yet another who was in favor of keeping JF and collecting an even bigger haul for the right to draft the second coming of Andrew Luck, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers all rolled into one I'm not satisfied Poles and Co were very thorough in their work as far as making the determination they wanted CW instead of the "haul". I'm good with that because I trust them. Their jobs are on the line.

[HurricaneBear]

Yes, lets PLEASE get this back on track and talk about what matters: There is a slim chance that Caleb is going to wear a dress to the nfl draft and I have never been more excited.

Imagine that certain section of Bears fans if Caleb walks out in a navy and orange dress on draft night? The reactions will be glorious!

[dplank]

Several other scenarios were available, this wasn’t a linear choice.

Brother, you got to let this go for now. It's April.

It was you and me back-to-back to the end on this, but JF1 is gone.

I know as Bears Fans our lives have been riddled with QB bullshit almost too long to list and we still bring it up from time to time.

But this one with JF1 is raw. I don't like it that he's gone, but my mind is on figuring out how to make Caleb Williams successful.

The alternative thought process to that is an insanity driven Event Horizon into a black hole of analysis about Why Justin Fields "Failed" In Chicago.

I’ve moved on and I’m ready to embrace the next guy, as I have all others that have come before. But I’m not gonna turn a blind eye when people disparage Fields and, for me at least, moving on doesn’t mean agreeing with what Poles did. I hope he got it right, but the story on that hasn’t even begun yet so I can’t stand seeing people dunking as if they’ve won a cookie.

You and I may ultimately be right on this, we haven’t played a single snap of football yet. It’ll take a few years before we know. CW must become an elite QB or Poles made a mistake. Let’s hope it happens.

[dplank]

TMP is right.

What in the heck are we talking about Fields in this Caleb Williams thread for - it just pisses people off all over again.

Be a good sport Art - just leave it alone.

That's the other half to the equation here.

Let's not gang up on Plank or anybody else about JF1.

There are people that need to stop Poking The Bear (no pun intended) with this topic. Just let it go.

It's over and done with.

This is it right here. It’s a two way street, if you want to move in then stop sniping about it to begin with. And if you do, don’t get offended if someone disagrees. I get that no one wants the wars to come back, but good lord people lighten up. Are we never allowed to utter his name again? Cmon, really, just lighten up everyone there’s no malice here and the war is over.

But the story isn’t. We have no idea how this will turn out and it’s very relevant to track it.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

Are we never allowed to utter his name again?

That's right. The F-word is banned!