NEWSLETTER
Few people have had the Chicago Bears pegged like The MMQB’s Albert Breer.
Particularly, when it comes to the team’s pursuit of Caleb Williams.
For instance, Breer had the scoop on the Bears’ dinner with Williams in April during the getting-to-know-you process. Back in March, Breer had behind-the-scenes nuggets and tidbits regarding the team’s evaluation of the USC quarterback from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. And when it came to a Justin Fields trade, it was Breer who had it mapped out — including early buzz about teams kicking the tires on exploring a deal at the Senior Bowl. In other words, we should keep a close eye on Breer when he reports on the Bears. Recent history tells us something interesting is going to surface.
In his latest, Breer takes us inside the Bears’ decision-making process that led to their selection of Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. There are quotes from General Manager Ryan Poles and Head Coach Matt Eberflus, anecdotes from Kliff Kingsbury, and so much more. I strongly encourage you to carve out some time to read the whole thing. It is a fascinating blend of reporting and storytelling. These types of informative and entertaining pieces are always worth your time.
In the meantime, I’ll share what might be my favorite anecdote about the baseline of information Poles was working with when it came time to decide between running it back with Justin Fields or starting anew with Caleb Williams:
Some came from national scout Francis St. Paul and West Coast area scout Reese Hicks, who kept telling Poles that he needed to get back out to California, and around the people at USC. He’d find out, they promised, that the narratives that circled Williams while the Trojans’ season circled the drain weren’t real. Investigate it yourself, they said. Read our reports. Investigate it.
Thankfully, Bears GM Ryan Poles would heed that advice.
MYTHBUSTERS AT BN: The Death of a Dumb Narrative | Another Caleb Williams Myth Debunked
The narratives around Caleb Williams were always silly
We, as a football fans and observers, often view scouts as the guys and gals who have eyes on players and send reports back to upper management. But when it came to the decision-making process that ultimately led the Bears to draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in last month’s NFL Draft, more was needed. Credit to National Scout Francis St. Paul and West Coast Area Scout Reese Hicks for going above and beyond to drive home to Poles to (1) ignore the narratives building around Williams and (2) to get deeper himself in order to find the truth.
This past offseason, we saw what it was like when narratives painting Caleb Williams in a negative light went wild. It wasn’t pretty. And it spread like wildfire in a dry summer. To not get caught up in that nonsense shows a sign of maturity. In hindsight, being above the noise sounds easy. But if you consume any sort of football content in the offseason, there was no escaping the opinions of former NFL front office folks occupying space in the media landscape who were pushing those negative narratives about Williams. If they could get caught up in that mess, it isn’t much of a stretch to think that kind of stuff still happens in NFL front offices today.
MORE: Ryan Poles Tells Pat McAfee What Went Into Drafting Caleb Williams
So kudos to Ryan Poles and his front office for doing their own due diligence and not getting tricked into believing bad-faith arguments just because they were loud.
Again, there is so much more good stuff in this story. Please read it for yourself.
