Ryan Poles finally got his chance to see Caleb Williams in person when USC visited South Bend for a primetime matchup with Notre Dame. The Chicago Bears GM had a good feel for what the young quarterback looked like on tape. His agenda for that night was to see as many other things as possible: how he interacted with teammates, how he handled a hostile atmosphere, how he handled himself when things went wrong, and how he prepared before the game. That last part isn't something a lot of people talk about.
Pre-game warmup routines are an understated part of helping a player prepare for a game. Poles immediately noticed that Williams did not go through the motions, waiting for the game to start. He had an extensive routine he operated by. According to Albert Breer of the MMQB, it even reminded him of another famous athlete.
So, at that point, Poles had something, if small, to pair with the tape. He had a good view of Williams’s regimented warmup routine (“It had a Steph Curry feel to it,” Poles says.). He had the Montana moment. And he had Williams’s handling of a very, very difficult night.
Curry is a future Hall of Famer in the NBA and arguably the greatest shooter in basketball history. His pre-game routine has become famous among fans. It features dribble drills, floaters off the glass, and then an extensive round of shots from every conceivable range and angle. The man is locked in throughout the process, which explains why he's consistently good in every game.
Ryan Poles sees exactly what Williams is doing.
He goes through specific routines before every game, ensuring his body and mind are prepared for what is to come. Like Curry, it explains why he rarely has bad performances. Ironically, that night against Notre Dame was the only bad performance Williams had all season. Yet even that gave Poles some valuable insight into the young quarterback. Even amidst an ugly game where he threw three interceptions and fell behind 24-6, Williams never stopped working to find solutions. He kept motivating his guys on the sideline. They even scored a couple of touchdowns to open the second half. Unfortunately, the defense couldn't get any stops.
Anytime you're compared to a living legend like Steph Curry, it can't be a bad thing. Caleb Williams wants to associate himself with greatness. He grew up watching clips of Michael Jordan. He fashioned his game after Aaron Rodgers. His personal mission is to chase Tom Brady. The kid understands that in order to become great, you must learn how the greats prepare, regardless of the sport they play. Ryan Poles understood that immediately.
