Sunday, the Chicago Bears evened their record at 2-2 with a win over the L.A. Rams, and in a game where there was noticeable improvement.
All last week, we heard about the meetings inside Halas Hall which took place and featured some raw, honest conversations between players and coaches. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was under fire, and justifiably so.
In his first showing after these meetings and all of the criticism, Waldron improved. He seemed to trust his players more, calling a far more sensible game plan. And, the players responded. The offensive line played better. The Bears ran the ball better than they have all year, and, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams looked the best he has over the course of this young season.
While Williams finished with the highest passer rating yet, this season (106.6), another rookie phenom has taken the league by storm and is overshadowing anything positive Williams is doing in Chicago.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is in the midst of setting the league on fire with his performances as of late, making history and looking every bit of what made him the NCAA's most recent Heisman winner.
However, instead of being able to enjoy Daniels' breakout, many Bears fans have taken the selfish and immature route of comparing the two rookie quarterbacks. Look all over social media, and it won't be hard to find.
Bears fans can be an insufferable bunch, even after a win and a solid performance from Williams.
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One former Bears player, and a fan favorite, has already seen enough of the comparisons, and cautioned the fan base against going down this dangerous road.
Offensive lineman Kyle Long is still as in-touch with the Bears and the NFL in general, and offered a pretty reasonable take on all of the comparing going on.
Caleb Williams played well yesterday. Don’t get wandering eyes Bears fans - I know Jayden Daniels is can’t miss TV. I get it. Our guy is damn good too.
— kyle (@Ky1eLong) September 30, 2024
Comparing quarterbacks is a tale as old as time for Chicago Bears fans
Isn't this what we do best? You don't have to look back very far to see multiple recent examples of the Bears' fan base making comparisons that, in the end, don't mean a thing.
Just last year, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had a season unlike the majority of rookie quarterbacks have ever had. It was easy for Bears fans to compare the likes of Justin Fields and Stroud, when in the end, doing so didn't change a thing about the current state of the team.
A few years back was, of course, the infamous 2017 NFL Draft that saw the Bears trade up for Mitchell Trubisky when, just a few picks later, the Kansas City Chiefs went on to select Patrick Mahomes.
The Mahomes/Trubisky fodder got old real quick, but at least we're mostly past that now.
Whether it's Caleb Williams, Justin Fields, Mitchell Trubisky or any other quarterback acquired in any fashion, Bears fans have always done this.
For once, it's only fair to Williams if Bears fans heed the advice of a former player like Kyle Long. Let's sit back and take a breath, enjoy Williams' visible improvement and focus on what actually matters.
Daniels is his own player, as is Williams. We're four games into their careers. Let the story play out a bit more before forming drastic opinions and building dangerous narratives.