Chicago Bears: Drafting Caleb Williams would be a huge mistake

Williams' attitude raises a red flag

A quarterback's job id to be the leader of not only the offense but also the entire team. He has to be cool under pressure and lead during lean times and not just during good times. We saw that with Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs this season. The wide receivers were bad and, while Mahomes showed some frustration throughout the season, he was still engaged with his teammates and kept grinding.

With Williams, however, we did not see that when things got tough. As the season progressed and the losses piled up, he seemed to check out. It was not just with his team but with the press as well. He was aloof with people. Additionally, he had a moment in which he ran into the stands to cry to his mother after a tough game.

A football locker room is filled with Type-A personalities. The leader has to handle those personalities. Crying to your mother when things get tough doesn't endear you to those players. Furthermore, teammates can tell when you check out and when you don't care about the team.

We saw an example of that when the Trojans won the Holiday Bowl. Williams' teammates were saying "We a team now!" after the game.

As a quarterback, Williams needs to keep his players involved, no matter what happens. It does not help when he cannot keep himself involved. He explained in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he was not used to dealing with a 7-5 team that had no playoff hopes.

"I’ve never been in this situation, where I’m 7–5 and there are no playoff hopes at the end of the season. I’m dealing with it emotionally, dealing with it spiritually and physically...I’ve had to have talks with [coach] Lincoln [Riley]—because obviously I haven’t been through it."

- Caleb Williams

If he isn't used to being on a 7-5 team, how is he going to deal with a team that not have a shot at the playoffs before the season even begins?