Before Caleb Williams ever donned a Bears jersey, he and his father, Carl, were already plotting an escape route. According to Seth Wickersham’s book American Kings, they viewed Chicago as a quarterback graveyard and even considered the United Football League as an alternative path. Carl criticized the NFL’s rookie wage scale, arguing it would significantly reduce his son’s market value. Despite their efforts, the Bears selected Caleb with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Once he landed in Chicago, things got worse, and Caleb’s rookie season was tumultuous. The former first overall pick started all 17 games, throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. However, he was sacked a league-high 68 times, and the Bears finished with a 5-12 record. Now that he’s gearing up for his sophomore season in the pros, reports are emerging of his failure in the rookie season.

While some argued that you can’t develop a QB if he’s spending every snap running for his life, others believed that there was no stability in coaching and play-calling. But fast forward to now, and the reports are emerging that the QB struggled with film study, claiming no one guided him on what to watch. And now?

Well, the NFL legend and CBS announcer, Ross Tucker, just shed light on all the Caleb Williams and Carl Williams drama. And get this, Tucker isn’t sugarcoating it a bit. Tucker believes that Caleb and his dad’s discussion about the quarterback not wanting to play for the Bears didn’t concern him at all. In fact, he stated that, “I’m MUCH more concerned that he and his dad were telling a WRITER that he didn’t want to play for the Bears.”

As Williams’ agent during the pre-draft time, the QB’s dad told several reporters that “I don’t want my son playing for the Bears.” But Chicago eventually drafted him, and the guy’s now dealing with a lot of hate due to his poor performance. But that’s not all. Wickersham’s book, American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback, also revealed that the QB straight-up admitted the reason behind his poor rookie season. What’s that, you ask?

“No one tells me what to watch,” Caleb Williams told his dad. “I just turn it on.” There you go. Right after that went down, many NFL legends and analysts alike roasted the QB. Emmanuel Acho even called out Caleb to curb excuses and focus on his performance. But Ross Tucker is out there giving his legit reaction on Caleb’s so-called problem. “First of all, there’s plenty of NFL quarterbacks that watch film by themselves. You SHOULD be watching film by yourself,” Tucker stated.

Tucker believes that Caleb stating nobody taught him how to watch a film is an insult to his USC head coach, Lincoln Riley. Why? Because the last time we checked, Lincoln coached three quarterbacks who went on to win the Heisman Trophy—Caleb, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray. And yeah, all of ’em were No. 1 picks. “And it’s kind of insulting, I think, to Lincoln Riley,” Tucker added.

“I mean, the guy gets every Heisman Trophy winner, every number one overall pick, and everybody’s supposed to feel bad for Caleb Williams because nobody was watching film with him? I don’t really know what that means either.” Long story short: Ross Tucker believes that Caleb Williams can’t even watch the film by himself, which is a major red flag for the Bears.

However, the head coach, Ben Johnson, sees all this feud differently.

Ben Johnson sees an opportunity for Caleb Williams

When Carl Williams openly called Chicago a “quarterback graveyard,” he wasn’t talking the talk. One could say the Bears are one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. But their quarterback room? Not so much. Get this, the franchise has no 4,000-yard passer in its team history. The best QB ever produced by the Bears was Sid Luckman, who retired in 1950.

And their former first-round picks like Mitch Trubisky, Rex Grossman, or Justin Fields either flamed out or didn’t reach their potential. A cold truth. No wonder Caleb Williams and his dad didn’t want the Bears to draft him. However, the Bears’ new head coach, and one of the best offensive minds in the league, Ben Johnson, has a different take.

While many see Chicago as a QB graveyard, the HC sees it more as an opportunity and a chance to create history. “You talk about fears. I don’t see it quite the same way,” Johnson explained while discussing the ongoing feud. “I see this as what a great opportunity that we have to do something that’s never been done. There’s never been a 4,000-yard passer in this franchise, and I think Caleb’s going to be the first one.

“One of many years where he’s going to accomplish the feat. I see a chance for greatness here for him. He’s been communicative that way. He feels the same way. I don’t know about what’s gone on before I joined the organization, but he’s very proud to be a Chicago Bear.” Isn’t that sound like a Hollywood underdog story? Indeed! I mean, we’ve already seen some underdog stories in the NFL.

Like Peyton Manning taking the charge in Indy as their franchise QB after the Bert Jones era, and leading the Colts to the Super Bowl after almost four decades. Or like Lamar Jackson joining the Ravens as one of the most explosive quarterbacks. So yeah, if Ben Johnson has confidence in Caleb Williams, then it’s safe to say that maybe, just maybe, it’s the Bears’ year.