While calling Monday’s game between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings that Chicago lost 30-12 to fall to 4-10 on the season, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman said that Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams looked like “a defeated guy” on the sidelines.
Former NFL player and current analyst Emmanuel Acho shared a different take about Williams during an edition of FS1’s “The Facility” program.
“We do not feel sorry for you,” Acho said about Williams, Matt Ehalt of the New York Post shared. “It is the National Football League. You’re going to get hit hard. You have to get up. You have to play the next play. I, more than anything, feel like control what you can control…and far too often, we see with this No. 1 overall pick, what I still believe is generational talent, we are seeing things without a heartbeat like attitude, like toughness, like effort, like emotional maturation in the midst of war, the football game, beat him.”
Some accused Williams of having a “Hollywood” personality before the Bears selected him first overall in this year’s draft. This was long before he endured the in-season firings of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus amid what’s become an eight-game losing streak. Following Monday’s contest, Williams acknowledged that his debut pro campaign was “frustrating and encouraging.”
Pro Football Reference shows that Williams took a league-most 58 sacks across the season’s first 15 weeks. He’s ranked 26th among qualified players with a 48.1 adjusted QBR and 23rd with an 87.7 passer rating for the campaign, and he has thus far tossed 17 touchdown passes with five interceptions.
“Caleb Williams’ body language is starting to become not just concerning but irritating,” Acho continued during the segment. “…Why you sitting there laying on the bench like somebody’s going to come pick you up? Nobody’s coming to rescue you, Caleb Williams. Nobody is coming to rescue you. You are not a damsel and you are not in distress. You’re an NFL quarterback.”
One wonders if a coaching staff that didn’t draft Williams will address some of Acho’s concerns during offseason meetings and workouts. For now, Williams will attempt to survive the rest of the campaign, beginning with this coming Sunday’s home game against the 12-2 Detroit Lions.
