Toast88
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Everyone has opinions on Caleb Williams the player and Caleb Williams the person.
But who is he, really? And how did his upbringing shape who he is now, and who he will be at the next level?
Some really great stuff in this CHGO Bears podcast episode from Teddy Greenstein, who embedded himself into the families of some of the best college QBs in recent memory, including Caleb Williams and JJ McCarthy.
Some key points below: Some ammo for pro-Williams people and some ammo for anti-Williams people.
-Greenstein is extremely complimentary of Caleb Williams and his dad Carl, calling concerns about his character and his commitment to football “garbage”.
-HOWEVER, when asked if he would take Caleb Williams at #1, he was very noncommittal. “I’m not a GM. I’m a writer. They’ll have to see everything—Every throw, every interview answer (with each prospect).”
-Caleb Williams’ dad Carl is DEEPLY involved in his son’s life and progression as a person and as a football player. While Greenstein said he understands why this might scare some people, he says this has actually been hugely beneficial to Caleb. Why? “Because Carl Williams is sane. He’s not a nut like a lot of these other sports dads.”
-Caleb Williams’ commitment to the quarterback position began when he was 11 years old. He was a running back and lost a tough game. He cried on the way home and vowed to change positions to quarterback and become “the best quarterback to ever play.” Since then, he has kept this same mindset.
-Caleb Williams and his dad are hyper business focused. But that business focus is about Caleb Williams continuing to grow and become better and better at football. Oh, he wants a couple hundred million dollars, for sure. But he wants it from being the best ever. Basically a Deion Sanders/Bo Jackson mindset.
-Caleb Williams and his dad are constantly thinking about the long term big picture. It’s why he never truly considered not entering the draft and why he would love to play on the Bears (or anywhere else, as long as it’s the #1 pick). Being the #1 pick is much more important to them than where he ends up.
-Speaking of big picture, Williams enrolled at Oklahoma while he was still playing ball in high school. Don’t ask me why that’s legal, but apparently it is. He did this so he could legally spend time with the Oklahoma football program so he wouldn’t be lost when he got in there.
-Greenstein says people shouldn’t get a Richard Williams/Ball Brothers vibe off Carl Williams. Carl Williams isn’t Todd Marinovich’s dad. He didn’t groom his son to be a sports star from birth. What he did do was notice his son’s star acumen around age 10-11 and fed that hunger.
-Also, Carl Williams has never been a micromanager as it relates to coaches and Williams’ teams. Carl recognizes that he’s not a coach or sports agent, etc. He believes in handing his son over to the experts, so he’s very supportive of those people in his son’s life, Greenstein says.
-Caleb Williams is going to have to answer questions during the pre-draft process about his (relatively) disappointing 2023 season and what went wrong. Greenstein expects him to be able to answer these questions just fine. He’s self aware enough to know where he needs to improve and tackle that improvement process.
-Re: Crying on his mom’s shoulder in the stands. Greenstein says that’s how much Caleb Williams cares. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say he doesn’t care enough about football and also criticize him for crying after his last game.”
-Carl Williams was savvy enough when his son was in junior high and excelling at being a quarterback to ingrain in young Caleb that he needed to be THE BEST at throwing the football. He knew people have a preconceived notion about black quarterbacks, and that his son needed to be a GREAT passer of the football who can work within the pocket. That’s been their mindset since before Caleb got to high school.
BONUS: This episode was about Caleb Williams, but Greenstein did throw a nugget in on JJ McCarthy, saying he and his family are basically the best people he’s ever met. No ego, grateful for everything, loves everyone, and is respectful to basically everyone he comes into contact with. His dad taught him to be humble and never think you’re better than anyone else. Doesn’t speak to how he’ll be as an NFL quarterback abilities-wise, but for the McCarthy fans, sounds like he’s a legitimately great kid.
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But who is he, really? And how did his upbringing shape who he is now, and who he will be at the next level?
Some really great stuff in this CHGO Bears podcast episode from Teddy Greenstein, who embedded himself into the families of some of the best college QBs in recent memory, including Caleb Williams and JJ McCarthy.
Some key points below: Some ammo for pro-Williams people and some ammo for anti-Williams people.
-Greenstein is extremely complimentary of Caleb Williams and his dad Carl, calling concerns about his character and his commitment to football “garbage”.
-HOWEVER, when asked if he would take Caleb Williams at #1, he was very noncommittal. “I’m not a GM. I’m a writer. They’ll have to see everything—Every throw, every interview answer (with each prospect).”
-Caleb Williams’ dad Carl is DEEPLY involved in his son’s life and progression as a person and as a football player. While Greenstein said he understands why this might scare some people, he says this has actually been hugely beneficial to Caleb. Why? “Because Carl Williams is sane. He’s not a nut like a lot of these other sports dads.”
-Caleb Williams’ commitment to the quarterback position began when he was 11 years old. He was a running back and lost a tough game. He cried on the way home and vowed to change positions to quarterback and become “the best quarterback to ever play.” Since then, he has kept this same mindset.
-Caleb Williams and his dad are hyper business focused. But that business focus is about Caleb Williams continuing to grow and become better and better at football. Oh, he wants a couple hundred million dollars, for sure. But he wants it from being the best ever. Basically a Deion Sanders/Bo Jackson mindset.
-Caleb Williams and his dad are constantly thinking about the long term big picture. It’s why he never truly considered not entering the draft and why he would love to play on the Bears (or anywhere else, as long as it’s the #1 pick). Being the #1 pick is much more important to them than where he ends up.
-Speaking of big picture, Williams enrolled at Oklahoma while he was still playing ball in high school. Don’t ask me why that’s legal, but apparently it is. He did this so he could legally spend time with the Oklahoma football program so he wouldn’t be lost when he got in there.
-Greenstein says people shouldn’t get a Richard Williams/Ball Brothers vibe off Carl Williams. Carl Williams isn’t Todd Marinovich’s dad. He didn’t groom his son to be a sports star from birth. What he did do was notice his son’s star acumen around age 10-11 and fed that hunger.
-Also, Carl Williams has never been a micromanager as it relates to coaches and Williams’ teams. Carl recognizes that he’s not a coach or sports agent, etc. He believes in handing his son over to the experts, so he’s very supportive of those people in his son’s life, Greenstein says.
-Caleb Williams is going to have to answer questions during the pre-draft process about his (relatively) disappointing 2023 season and what went wrong. Greenstein expects him to be able to answer these questions just fine. He’s self aware enough to know where he needs to improve and tackle that improvement process.
-Re: Crying on his mom’s shoulder in the stands. Greenstein says that’s how much Caleb Williams cares. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say he doesn’t care enough about football and also criticize him for crying after his last game.”
-Carl Williams was savvy enough when his son was in junior high and excelling at being a quarterback to ingrain in young Caleb that he needed to be THE BEST at throwing the football. He knew people have a preconceived notion about black quarterbacks, and that his son needed to be a GREAT passer of the football who can work within the pocket. That’s been their mindset since before Caleb got to high school.
BONUS: This episode was about Caleb Williams, but Greenstein did throw a nugget in on JJ McCarthy, saying he and his family are basically the best people he’s ever met. No ego, grateful for everything, loves everyone, and is respectful to basically everyone he comes into contact with. His dad taught him to be humble and never think you’re better than anyone else. Doesn’t speak to how he’ll be as an NFL quarterback abilities-wise, but for the McCarthy fans, sounds like he’s a legitimately great kid.
Inside Caleb Williams’ background: What makes potential Chicago Bears QB tick? | CHGO Bears Podcast
We know Caleb Williams is a talented quarterback, but what is he like as a human being? Teddy Greenstein wrote about Williams’ upbringing in his book “Quarte...
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