Latest news with #AmericanKings:ABiographyoftheQuarterback
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NFL OTAs: Taking temperature of week's big stories, from 'way too hot' Browns QB room to Caleb Williams' pre-draft preference
Storylines from the NFL teams gathering for organized team activities (OTAs) are all over the place, with coaches and players meeting with media again. Of course, this is going to set off a chain reaction of takes as people get their first real taste of the return of football since the Super Bowl, but not everything deserves an explosive reaction. There were four big storylines this week in the NFL eliciting a swarm of reactions from fans and media. Let's take a temperature check on what people are following around the league. Browns quarterback room: WAY TOO HOT! PUT IT DOWN BEFORE YOU SET THE HOUSE ON FIRE! Rookie quarterbacks are going to cause a lot of intrigue naturally and this year, Shedeur Sanders is the hot button topic that ensnares everyone in its wake. Sanders, as everyone knows by now, shockingly fell to the fifth round where the Browns traded up to take him — a day after taking Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Since Shedeur has hoisted the crown jewel of attention, every action he takes is going to be heavily followed. Including passes during OTAs. And who got reps first between him and Gabriel during rookie minicamp. Advertisement Look, people who do not follow the Cleveland Browns or cover the Cleveland Browns … it's time to slow down a bit. Quarterback progression is a marathon, not a sprint. Sanders faces an uphill battle toward reps given the fact that he was not the highest drafted quarterback by the Browns this year. The team also signed Joe Flacco, who isn't exactly interested in being a mentor, and traded for Kenny Pickett, so this is a crowded room right now. Just wait and let it play out. Don't overanalyze anything until the pads come on. These are May practices for a rookie fifth-round quarterback. Everyone just relax. Save the energy for August, because there's still a ways to go before Sanders takes snaps in September. Aaron Rodgers isn't a Steeler yet: Getting warmer, but stay patient here Aaron Rodgers hasn't signed with the Steelers yet, for whatever reason, which is causing people to ask questions as training camp approaches in mid-July. At 41 years old, Rodgers probably wants to save himself for the season and he wouldn't be the first veteran player to take that approach at the tail end of their career. However, with the recent reports that Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is keeping an eye on the Steelers' quarterback situation, there have been some rumblings that Pittsburgh will be willing to pivot if Rodgers opts not to sign. Advertisement Still, pencil in Rodgers as the starter for this season, but the closer it gets to July people will obviously get a little concerned. (Which Rodgers clearly loves.) Caleb Williams and his desire to be a Chicago Bear: Cold, just doesn't really matter In Seth Wickersham's new book "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,' he revealed that current Bears quarterback Caleb Williams wanted to play for the Vikings before the draft, and that his father, Carl, called Chicago "the place quarterbacks go to die." That is a great piece of information for Wickersham to get, especially considering the pre-draft intrigue surrounding how Williams and his father were potentially trying to game his landing spot. Advertisement Sure, it might not be what Bears fans want to hear, and it's good fodder for trolling for Vikings fans, but guess what — this is why the draft exists! There is no real choice! The Bears picked Williams, he signed his contract and now he's going to try his hardest to return the team to winning ways. "I wanted to be here," Williams told the media on Wednesday, saying things changed regarding the Vikings after his visit with the Bears. "I love being here." That's all, time to chill out about desire and focus on what's actually tangible. And Williams has a great opportunity to improve upon his first season. Stefon Diggs caught having too good of a time: Ice, ice cold Man, you watch that video and tell me if Stefon Diggs cares about being caught partying on the boat with Cardi B and the girls. As a player who is on the back nine of his career, with a signing bonus that already hit his bank account, there's only so much scolding here that actually matters. His legacy is set, he's had a great career and now has a chance to get one more run together as the top dog in the Patriots' wide receiver room. Perhaps it's not the best example to set for a room of young wide receivers, but it's hard to care about something Diggs obviously did not care about himself. A little more discretion next time, Stefon.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
QB Caleb Williams addresses book saying he wanted to avoid Chicago Bears
QB Caleb Williams addresses book saying he wanted to avoid Chicago Bears Show Caption Hide Caption Bears' Caleb Williams responds to controversial pre-draft report Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams spoke out on Wednesday about a controversial pre-draft report. Fox - 32 Chicago The Chicago Bears are back in action this week for offseason training activities (OTAs). It's the first year under new coach Ben Johnson and year two for the franchise with quarterback Caleb Williams. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft made headlines weeks ago for an excerpt from ESPN writer Seth Wickersham's upcoming book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback." That excerpt included information that Williams' family looked into potential ways he could circumvent the draft and avoid playing for the Bears. Williams addressed these claims in a press conference during the first day of OTAs. "For this to come out, it's been a distraction," Williams said. "All that went down, all that was said, yeah, I had a good visit at the other place, Minnesota. Kevin O'Connell, good staff and all that... but something that keeps getting lost, something that keeps... not being addressed the way it needs to be is the fact that I went on that visit first. Then after I came (to Chicago) ... I went back home, talked to my dad, and all of the things that were supposed to be these big things that everybody's been talking about recently, one, never happened in the sense of, they were all thoughts, they were all ideas." Browns QB carousel: Joe Flacco praises Shedeur Sanders, says being mentor 'not the main focus' Stefon Diggs boat: Mike Vrabel says New England Patriots 'aware of' viral video The excerpt from Wickersham's book included quotes from Williams' father, Carl, saying that "Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," "the rookie cap is just unconstitutional" and the current NFL collective bargaining agreement is the "worst piece of s--- I've ever read. It's the worst in sports history." It detailed that the the Williams family looked into possibly having him sign with a United Football League team for a year before coming to the NFL as a free agent in 2025. Wickersham's excerpt stated that after his visit in Chicago, Williams told his father he could be a part of the franchise changing. "It was a deliberate and determined answer that I had," Williams said at OTAs. "I wanted to come here and be the guy and be a part and be a reason of why the Chicago Bears turned this thing around." Chicago started Williams' rookie season 4-2 before losing 10 straight games after their bye week. The franchise made an unprecedented move of firing a coach mid-season with Matt Eberflus let go after a loss to the Detroit Lions. 'Are you kidding me?': Terry Bradshaw slams Steelers, Aaron Rodgers for quarterback situation Williams said he loves being in Chicago and still has one main goal in mind. "The main objective of being here is to turn (things) around," he said. "That's what we're here to do. That's what they brought me here to do, that's what they brought all these guys here to do. Joe (Thuney), DJ (Moore), all these different guys. And that's why they brought Ben (Johnson) here. "It's a challenge and we look at those challenges and we don't laugh, we look at them really seriously and we go attack them to the best of our ability."
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Unpacking Williams offseason controversy in CHI
Can Patrick and Co. discuss Caleb Williams' recent comments after excerpts from author Seth Wickersham's upcoming book, "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," discussing the QB's outlook with the Bears.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Caleb Williams explains why he and his dad schemed to avoid going to the Bears from USC
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams smiles as he warms up during NFL football practice in Lake Forest, Ill. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press) In something of a grand gesture, Caleb Williams stood at a lectern Wednesday to explain that excerpts from an upcoming book were old news. A year after scheming to avoid playing for the Bears, he is committed to turning around the franchise. Leaping from the USC campus to the top rung of the NFL draft a year ago, Williams aspired to be like John Elway and Eli Manning. Advertisement Just not in the way one might expect. Sure, he wanted to lead a team to multiple Super Bowl titles like those two quarterbacks, whose career statistics were remarkably similar. Both played 16 years in the NFL for only one team — Elway with the Denver Broncos and Manning with the New York Giants — and both passed for 50,000 yards and 300 touchdowns. But Williams, egged on by his father, is described in American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by ESPN journalist Seth Wickersham as entertaining creative ways to spurn the team that held the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft. Just like Elway and Manning had done. Advertisement Elway proclaimed his refusal to play for the Baltimore Colts after they drafted him first overall in 1983, leading to a trade to the Broncos. Manning refused to play for the San Diego Chargers after being drafted first overall in 2004, forcing a trade to the Giants. However, Williams was unsuccessful in his effort. The Bears drafted him and he pledged his allegiance to them while enduring a rocky rookie season in which he was sacked more than any other NFL quarterback and the team struggled to a 5-12 record. Yet he felt compelled to hold a news conference at the Bears training camp in Lake Forest, Ill., to explain why he entertained thoughts of spurning Chicago and instead landed in, say, Minnesota. Williams admitted he and his parents discussed ways to dodge the Bears. Williams couldn't speak for his father. Carl Williams told Wickersham that "Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," and consulted with Manning's father, Archie, a former NFL quarterback who had helped strategize his son's trade from the Chargers to the Giants. Advertisement But Williams made it clear he is all in with new Bears head coach Ben Johnson and the franchise's commitment to turning around its fortunes. He said he changed his tune about Chicago after meeting with Bears brass ahead of last year's draft. 'After I came on my visit here, it was a … deliberate and determined answer that I wanted to come here,' Williams said. 'I wanted to be here. I love being here.' 'I wanted to come here and be the guy and be a part and be a reason why the Chicago Bears turn this thing around." "This thing" is a franchise that hasn't posted a winning record since 2018 and whose all-time leading passer is the middling Jay Cutler. The Bears' most renowned quarterback is Sid Luckman, who helped them win four NFL championships in the 1940s while passing for a paltry 14,686 yards in 11 seasons. They won one more pre-Super Bowl title, in 1963, and have won only one of the LIX (59) Super Bowls, in 1985. Advertisement No wonder Carl Williams was against his son — a Heisman Trophy winner at USC in 2022 — getting locked into what amounts to a five-year rookie contract with Chicago. That son, now a 23-year-old man, said he no longer responds unquestioningly to his father's marching orders. 'I shut him down quite a bit,' Williams said. 'He has ideas and he's a smart man and so I listen. I always listen. "I'm very fortunate to be in this position in the sense of playing quarterback, but also very fortunate to have a very strong-minded father. We talk very often, my mom and my dad are my best friends, so being able to have conversations with them to understand that everything they say is also portrayed on me.' Wickersham's book will be published in September. Another excerpt describes Williams as becoming enamored with the idea of playing for Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell after they had a pre-draft meeting. Advertisement But the overriding theme of his four-minute opening statement at the news conference was that he is focused on becoming the best quarterback possible for the Chicago Bears. He'd prefer that everyone just forget that he had misgivings a year ago. "We are here focused on the future," he said, "we are here focused on the present and really trying to get this train going, picking up steam and choo-chooing along." Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Caleb Williams explains why he and his dad schemed to avoid going to the Bears from USC
In something of a grand gesture, Caleb Williams stood at a lectern Wednesday to explain that excerpts from an upcoming book were old news. A year after scheming to avoid playing for the Bears, he is committed to turning around the franchise. Leaping from the USC campus to the top rung of the NFL draft a year ago, Williams aspired to be like John Elway and Eli Manning. Just not in the way one might expect. Sure, he wanted to lead a team to multiple Super Bowl titles like those two quarterbacks, whose career statistics were remarkably similar. Both played 16 years in the NFL for only one team — Elway with the Denver Broncos and Manning with the New York Giants — and both passed for 50,000 yards and 300 touchdowns. But Williams, egged on by his father, is described in American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by ESPN journalist Seth Wickersham as entertaining creative ways to spurn the team that held the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft. Just like Elway and Manning had done. Elway proclaimed his refusal to play for the Baltimore Colts after they drafted him first overall in 1983, leading to a trade to the Broncos. Manning refused to play for the San Diego Chargers after being drafted first overall in 2004, forcing a trade to the Giants. However, Williams was unsuccessful in his effort. The Bears drafted him and he pledged his allegiance to them while enduring a rocky rookie season in which he was sacked more than any other NFL quarterback and the team struggled to a 5-12 record. Yet he felt compelled to hold a news conference at the Bears training camp in Lake Forest, Ill., to explain why he entertained thoughts of spurning Chicago and instead landed in, say, Minnesota. Williams admitted he and his parents discussed ways to dodge the Bears. Williams couldn't speak for his father. Carl Williams told Wickersham that 'Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die,' and consulted with Manning's father, Archie, a former NFL quarterback who had helped strategize his son's trade from the Chargers to the Giants. But Williams made it clear he is all in with new Bears head coach Ben Johnson and the franchise's commitment to turning around its fortunes. He said he changed his tune about Chicago after meeting with Bears brass ahead of last year's draft. 'After I came on my visit here, it was a … deliberate and determined answer that I wanted to come here,' Williams said. 'I wanted to be here. I love being here.' 'I wanted to come here and be the guy and be a part and be a reason why the Chicago Bears turn this thing around.' 'This thing' is a franchise that hasn't posted a winning record since 2018 and whose all-time leading passer is the middling Jay Cutler. The Bears' most renowned quarterback is Sid Luckman, who helped them win four NFL championships in the 1940s while passing for a paltry 14,686 yards in 11 seasons. They won one more pre-Super Bowl title, in 1963, and have won only one of the LIX (59) Super Bowls, in 1985. No wonder Carl Williams was against his son — a Heisman Trophy winner at USC in 2022 — getting locked into what amounts to a five-year rookie contract with Chicago. That son, now a 23-year-old man, said he no longer responds unquestioningly to his father's marching orders. 'I shut him down quite a bit,' Williams said. 'He has ideas and he's a smart man and so I listen. I always listen. 'I'm very fortunate to be in this position in the sense of playing quarterback, but also very fortunate to have a very strong-minded father. We talk very often, my mom and my dad are my best friends, so being able to have conversations with them to understand that everything they say is also portrayed on me.' Wickersham's book will be published in September. Another excerpt describes Williams as becoming enamored with the idea of playing for Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell after they had a pre-draft meeting. But the overriding theme of his four-minute opening statement at the news conference was that he is focused on becoming the best quarterback possible for the Chicago Bears. He'd prefer that everyone just forget that he had misgivings a year ago. 'We are here focused on the future,' he said, 'we are here focused on the present and really trying to get this train going, picking up steam and choo-chooing along.'
