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Bears fans standing and waving signs in the front row behind Chicago’s sideline pleaded with Caleb Williams to sign their mini-helmets before the Hall of Fame game.
“Please, Caleb. Please.”
Navy, orange and white No. 18 jerseys filled the stands and the Hall of Fame village as fans from Chicago toured the museum and checked out the bronze busts of Mike Ditka, Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and other Bears legends.
Devin Hester and Steve McMichael will join that elite group on Saturday.
Williams plans to wear a gold jacket one day, a quarter-century from now. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner from USC selected with the first overall pick in the NFL draft has set lofty goals.
Williams already said he wants to win eight Super Bowls, one more than Tom Brady.
“I want to play at one place for 20 years and chase one guy, No. 12,” Williams said on “The Pivot” podcast.
Long-suffering Bears fans would be thrilled with a playoff win for now. They haven’t celebrated one of those since the 2010 season. Playing in an NFC North division that was dominated mostly by Aaron Rodgers’ Packers over the past decade, the Bears have had only one winning season in the last 11 years.
But Williams’ arrival in the Windy City has fueled excitement. Everyone is counting on him to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
Only Jim McMahon has led the Bears to a Super Bowl victory and he did it with Payton carrying the load on offense and one of the greatest defenses in league history.
Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Jay Cutler, Rex Grossman and Jim Harbaugh are among the QBs who couldn’t deliver a Vince Lombardi trophy to Chicago.
Williams has the skills and ability to make it happen in the future. He certainly has the confidence and swagger needed to succeed in the NFL. The front office led by general manager Ryan Poles has surrounded him with a talented supporting cast.
The Bears drafted wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick and acquired six-time Pro Bowl wideout Keenan Allen to join top target D.J. Moore. They signed running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett in free agency.
Williams has playmakers around him. Now, he needs time to develop and get acclimated to the speed and pace of the NFL.
Williams and the starters didn’t play in Chicago’s weather-shortened 21-17 victory over the Houston Texans on Thursday night.
Still, he gained valuable experience from the sideline.
“He went through the pre-game and then bringing him right before the game, talking to him about what he needs to know based off the information we give him as the quarterback and that’s information that’s pertinent to locations on the field, what we’re doing, when we’re going for stuff, all those things,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “It’s his first time going through pre-game, first time getting all the information. He was right there with halftime adjustments so he got to see that for the first time. It’s not college where you get 30 minutes at halftime and you can put in a whole new offense. It’s fast.”
If the Bears needed any inspiration that a rookie QB could quickly turn a team’s fortunes around, they only had to look at the opposite sideline. The Texans went worst to first in the AFC South last year mainly due to AP Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. The No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft had an outstanding season, helping Houston win 11 games and advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Williams and the Bears aren’t focused on comparisons, however. They’re busy working on their own turnaround.
The pieces are in place now. Williams is the foundation.
“Everything is about the bond and the trust that you build between each other because, then, you go out there and you play with a different level, your mentality is different,” Williams said earlier this summer. “Everything is different when you’re out there playing for each other and you’re not out there playing for yourself. The connection, to be able to build a bond between not just the 11 on the field, but the next 11 that comes on the field, which is the defense, and then the 53 (players on the active roster).
“Everybody is treated with respect and love and care, but also pushing each other to be at our best. That is where the connection comes from because you can’t build something pretty special at the end of the year without that bond, love and trust for your brothers.”
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