It's a breath of fresh air for the Chicago Bears to be in on debates like these. For 100 years, Bears fans have longed for a quarterback worth comparing to a Green Bay Packers gunslinger.
Now, it's all the rage to compare Caleb Williams to Jordan Love. Whether you side on either guy, it's actually well-worth the conversation right about now. In FanSided's latest quarterback rankings, Williams just barely edged Love for the 8th spot, landing the Packer at no. 9 overall.
But those rankings are all about right now, and this conversation is about the future. If you asked well-known Packers media voice and podcaster Andy Herman of the Pack A Day Podcast, even he'd have a hard time picking Love on a long-term basis.
"If it's just this season, I'm going Jordan (Love) and I'm not thinking too hard about it. He's a more well-rounded quarterback in the here and now," said Herman.
"But when you say the five years ... I would probably lean towards Caleb just because I think he has a couple of those weapons in his arsenal that are just so special. There's no question the flashes are brilliant. The one thing I just need to see is the baseline level of consistency on the down-to-down basis.
It takes more than numbers to end the Caleb Williams vs. Jordan Love debate
First of all, can I just say how refreshing it is to hear a take like this? For all of the banter, both intelligent and not, between Packers and Bears fans I've seen, this is extremely validating.
To have someone like Herman be as honest as he is, here ... I have to tip my hat. That kind of take, considering the context, takes some guts to admit. Herman is great at what he does as one of the top folks in Packers media.
Now, as for the here and now, I understand it's strongly debated. FanSided's own Freddie Boston does a strong job of backing Love over Williams here, using well-researched facts and numbers. It makes sense on the surface.
But for the same reason it's Williams on the cover of Madden, Williams already has the edge right now, in some eyes. If you hear somebody say, "Bears vs. Packers tonight," who's the first player that comes to your mind?
It isn't Jordan Love.
See, we can debate numbers all day long. Love has the edge in completion percentage. He's better in the first three quarters. He even has a higher DVOA and EPA per play. These are all great and valuable ways to measure a quarterback for various reasons.
But what happens when the game is on the line and you need somebody to make a play? Make a few plays? Put multiple scoring drives together? Come back and win the game?
These are the "flashes" Herman refers to. But they're more than just flashes. Williams executed seven game-winning drives last season. He consistently delivered when it mattered most.
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You can feed me stat after stat in the Williams vs. Love debate, but we all know who people come to watch when the lights are on -- the guy who's beaten the Packers twice in a row, and in dramatic fashion.
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