Caleb Williams hasn’t had a ton of time to make a big impression on the Chicago Bears locker room, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped him. Teammates have already talked up his obvious arm talent, from strength to accuracy. His anticipation and timing are also good for a rookie. Yet that isn’t what most have mentioned first whenever he comes up in conversations. It is his competitive streak. There were already stories coming out of USC that Williams had a certain, let’s say, distaste for losing. Okay, he hates it. This isn’t just in football, mind you. Anything that can be considered a competition is something he wants to win.
Cole Kmet found that out the hard way. He, Williams, and several other teammates went to Topgolf. It is a game where people hit golf balls at targets on the driving range. The further the target you hit, the greater your points. According to the Bears tight end, Williams didn’t fare well during the action. Rather than cut his losses and call it a night, the quarterback demanded everybody stay until he finally claimed victory. They ended up staying until 1:00 a.m.
This Caleb Williams story sounds eerily familiar.
It should, especially for Chicago fans. The greatest player in the city’s history did the exact same thing. Michael Jordan was known for his maniacal competitive streak. It wasn’t exclusive to basketball. Nothing was off-limits. Golf was a particular sore spot for him. One time in 1992, he went to Barcelona for the Summer Olympics. One day, he played a round of golf with Team USA head coach Chuck Daly. It was a tight contest, but in the end, Daly pulled out the victory.
Jordan didn’t like that.
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“One day, his coach Chuck Daly and Jordan were playing a round of golf. It went down to the wire, but eventually, Daly came out on top by one shot. Knowing when to quit when he was ahead, Daly vowed to never play a round against Jordan again. Of course, the competitive Jordan would have none of that. He wouldn’t take his loss in stride and focus on winning in the Olympics.
“The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Jordan rang Daly’s room. Getting no response, he went directly to Daly’s room and knocked. Then he pounded. He wouldn’t go away until he got his rematch. He got it, and he won by a shot. But would you expect anything else?”
Caleb Williams has a long way to go before he’s on the level of Jordan. That said, he certainly has the right mentality. History says that when players of his talent level couple it with an elite competitive streak, it always leads to great things. Tom Brady was the same way. Every single thing Williams does is a competition. He wants to win. He needs to win. That is who the Bears want under center every Sunday. It is how they’ll know they have a chance.
