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via Imago

via Imago

Caleb Williams is all set to star in HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ before even making his debut in an NFL game! The sports documentary will continue its legacy of capturing the teams during their training camps with the Chicago Bears this season.

The USC rookie will be the first No. 1 drafted QB to be featured in the HBO show since Baker Mayfield in 2018. This limelight, in addition to already being the most hyped draft selection, would come with its sets of pros and cons. In a recent show, the analysts had a mixed set of opinions.

Will Caleb Williams be able to cope with the “cameras and microphones?”

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On the First Things First , the analysts were divided in their opinions about whether the ‘Hard Knocks’ appearance would fare well for the quarterback or not. The Score’s host, Danny Perkins, feels that Williams is the perfect fit for the show and that the rookie wouldn’t buckle under the attention. “This guy played in Hollywood,” said the host. “Week two Sunday Night Football, he’s going to be playing in front of 20 million people. What, he’s afraid of cameras and microphones? Like, he was built in a lab for the spotlight. He has Denzel Washington’s cell phone number. Like, this guy is not going to be intimidated by cameras and microphones.”

Perkins further said that while the Bears might react differently to the HBO appearance since the franchise has its ‘weird’ quirks, Williams isn’t going to be negatively impacted. “I’m not saying there won’t be weird things for the Bears because they can be a little bit of a weird franchise.” The host further joked about George McCaskey riding a scooter a few years ago and Matt Eburflus’ HITS principle. “Their owner rides a scooter, and their coach has acronyms. just say it’s a little weird …their offensive coordinator, kind of a different guy. But for Caleb, he’s going to be fine.

Perkins clearly believes that Williams would be comfortable with being on cameras in his rookie year, and a similar sentiment was echoed by the head coach, Eberrflus, at a recent press conference. Fox Sports host Nick Wright further gave an interesting insight about how the show would benefit not only the QB but also his Bears teammates.

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How will the ‘Hard Knocks’ appearance benefit Williams and his teammates?

No matter what the opinion is on the HBO appearance, most opinions align with Williams’ comfort being on-screen. The Bears’ head coach recently voiced his faith in the idea when asked if the 22-year-old would flourish on the show. “I do, I really do,” said Matt Eburflus via PFT. “That’s a really good point. I do think he’s suited for that. He’s comfortable in his own skin, he knows who he is and he’s been out there for several years in terms of in the media… he’ll be good.

Nick Wright further supported Perkins’ opinion on the podcast, saying that the “exposure” would be “good for Caleb.” The host opined that the players who were close to previous QB, Justin Fields, would now be benefitting from the public interest around Williams, which in turn would allow the quarterback to lead from the front. “they are now going to have a higher Q rating. they are now going to potentially locally or nationally be eligible for more endorsements, and be more of an ‘It’ team which -allows him to more immediately be the leader of the team.”

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USA Today via Reuters

The ‘Hard Knocks’ show with the Chicago Bears is set to release on August 6 before the commencement of the regular season. Caleb Williams is sure to generate quite a lot of interest and might prove to be the boost the franchise needs in popularity and support before the 2024 season.