Football is a brutal sport. It can be so rewarding when things go well but utterly merciless when they don't. It makes men question the point of everything when losing. Why put the body through such mental and physical anguish for no reward? Sure, the money is great. It can set a family up for generations if handled properly. However, most players get into the sport to achieve greatness. That is why Caleb Williams did it. The Chicago Bears quarterback set a list of goals for himself, all centered around becoming the greatest ever to do it.
That requires winning. Williams had never been a loser in his athletic career, dating back to PeeWee football as a kid. Last season changed that. The Bears went 5-12 while Williams absorbed an ungodly 68 sacks. He admitted to Esquire Magazine that all of it sent him to a dark place towards the end of the season.
“When I got home, I got in my bed. I just dropped a few tears,” Williams said. “And I was just so beat-up mentally, physically, spiritually.”
One can understand. He was in a lot of pain, and losing only magnified it. To his credit, Williams managed to take positives from the experience. It forced him to learn how to handle the highs and lows of the NFL.
“I think those losses were pretty important for me and my growth,” Williams said. “To go on a losing streak, to be in this position and be at the helm of it, was definitely important for me. Just being able to see how I need to be when times are bad. I’m going to work my tail off to never be in that situation again.”
Caleb Williams showed his resilience in the season finale.
Nobody would've blamed the quarterback for calling it a season. The Bears were 4-12 and going into Lambeau Field against a playoff-bound Green Bay Packers team. The coaching staff was on its way out. Everybody knew it. There was nothing to play for in that game except pride. To his credit, Williams showed plenty of it. He completed over 72% of his passes, threw a touchdown, and didn't turn the ball over. On the final drive of the game, he made two huge completions to Rome Odunze (15 yards) and D.J. Moore (18 yards) to set up a 51-yard field goal for Cairo Santos.
Chicago's 24-22 victory was its first over the Packers since 2018 and its first win at Lambeau Field since 2015. The fact Caleb Williams pulled it off with a coaching staff held together by duct tape and zero stakes tells you the kind of competitor he is. Now, the organization has spent the past four months revamping everything around him. Ben Johnson brings a proven offense with him from Detroit. Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman will significantly bolster the offensive line. If things unfold as hoped, last season will be nothing more than a bad dream.
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