Former Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long had some surprising comments about Caleb Williams last month. He admitted that he saw shades of John Elway in the Bears' young quarterback, from the rocket right arm to the mobility and knack for late-game heroics. It was a lofty comparison. Many consider the former Denver Broncos legend one of the five greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Putting Williams in that category is bold, especially for someone with such a trained eye as Long.
Shannon Sharpe decided to get an answer from the man himself. He had Elway on his podcast to talk about the man's career and other topics. The two teammates eventually came around to Long's comments about Williams. Surprisingly, Elway didn't dismiss the statement. While he feels the Bears quarterback still has some growing to do, the signs are growing that he will be an excellent player. His improvement over the past few months is confirmation of that. If he masters the smaller details, everything will fall into place.
A nod from John Elway is never a bad thing.
It would've been easy and understandable if he dismissed the comparison out of hand. What has Williams done yet in the NFL to justify it? Elway is a two-time Super Bowl champion and authored some of the greatest moments in playoff history. Some may feel borderline disrespected. Instead, he thought about it and acknowledged that Williams has the building blocks to become something special. As with most young quarterbacks, it is always about learning to master the little things.
People forget that John Elway wasn't great immediately. You could argue that his first three years in the league were inconsistent at best, throwing 47 touchdowns to 52 interceptions. It was his 4th quarter magic (nine comebacks) that told people he had something. Finally, in 1986, everything came together. He made his first of five Super Bowl appearances, capped by his iconic moment in Cleveland with The Drive. Williams will have his first opportunity to do the same a week from now.
