Chicago is where the wind blows strong and the Bears roar louder! One rookie ‘Bear’ in particular has quickly risen to prominence in the NFL offseason. Not for the scrimmage—save that for another day—but off the field. Rookie QB Caleb Williams’ “let’s clean up after ourselves” locker room rant has divided the footballing world. But this former NFL linebacker backs up the young gun: “He [Caleb] was putting it lightly.”
Speaking on Fox Sports Radio’s Up On Game, on August 4, ex-Washington‘s LB LaVar Arrington added that Caleb showed some respect with the way he led the conversation, saying, “Let’s help the janitors.” LaVar said, “If we’re being for real, he can sit there and call you filthy motherf-ers. This is some BS. It starts here, and you know what, do better because if we do better here, we’ll do better everywhere else.“
The 46-year-old was in no mood to let anyone aim their critics at the 22-year-old QB. The former LB tackled it all and threw it back at the vets of the Bears locker room. “As a grown-ass man, you should be ashamed of yourself that you don’t have higher standards for yourself,” LaVar said. On the radio talk show, he preached that if the seasoned vets felt offended by Caleb calling the locker room environment out, then that was a problem.
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For Arrington, “You’re either underdeveloped–you’re a filthy wreck who can’t look after yourself. Or, you’re entitled. You’ve got someone doing it for you.” The former NFL pro football player’s reasonings for such an explanatory morality lesson was simple: You’re not running a successful enterprise, business, team, etc. if you have such entities within who can’t hold their end of the bargain. Their responsibility! Now, let’s loop back to where it all began. Wasn’t this the message that Bears safety Kevin Byard meant to convey, using the speech as an example to answer what makes Caleb a standout QB?
🎙️@LavarArrington has some choice words for sloppy Bears players pushing back on Caleb Williams:
“You should be ashamed you don’t have a higher standard for yourself. For Caleb Williams to call that out. He was putting it light. It’s some BS. It starts here. Do better.” pic.twitter.com/dLxg6jBrVL
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) August 4, 2024
He did mean this! But this might be one of the cases where the meaning must have gotten lost with so many interpretations. Especially for the CU Buffs alum Matt McChesney, who asked the youngster to “Shut the f*ck up.” And for Chiefs’ ex-WR Amani Toomer who labeled Caleb as “Russell Wilson 2.0” for bad attitude.
On the other hand, though, this organized attitude is the reason why Kevin recalled Williams’ locker room speech on the 30th of July, on 670 The Score. “When you want to be a great player, you always focus on the little details—not even just the details of the play, but the details of everything around you,” the 30-year-old said. He concluded his statement by saying that ‘Da Bears’ are in for a treat with the 22-year-old QB ‘for a long time’.
Caleb Williams has more to his game than just numbers!
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“I want to play in one place for 20 years and chase one guy, No. 12.” This is what Caleb Williams said on The Pivot Podcast back in April about his end goal -the North Star. Well, who does not want to chase the GOAT Tom Brady? And if that’s his goal at 22, you can be relaxed as a Bears fan. Stats are one, but the determination and passion for the sport are equally valuable.
Starting with Chicago’s head coach, Matt Eberflus. Let it be clear that the coach was excited to have the kid when he commended Caleb’s one aspect of play earlier – his ability to throw on the run. “It’s pretty exceptional. He’s pretty accurate there,” Matt said. Per Opta Analyst, Caleb Williams was one of only three FBS QBs in 2023 to throw for over 9.0 air yards per attempt and land an 80% catchable rate. He’s in an elite company with Heisman successor Jayden Daniels and national champ J.J. McCarthy.
CBS Sports dubbed Caleb Williams “the closest thing” to Patrick Mahomes since 2017. With cleaner footwork, a powerful arm, and the ability to dice defenses both in the pocket and on the run, he’s a game-changer. Well, before calling it outrageous, read it again. It says, closest. And this particular stat tries to portray the same emotion. Williams was the first FBS QB since Mahomes to throw 30+ touchdowns and rush for 10+ scores in consecutive seasons.
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Eyeing for Brady’s perch. Drawing similarities to Mahomes -arguably, closest to dethrone Brady. And now, winning the hearts of his teammates, coaches, and experts (some more than others) on and off the field. Caleb Williams has surely started pro football with a bang! But, do you think Williams can turn the Bears into a ‘winning franchise’ and convert the off-season momentum into impactful results? Share your thoughts.