Caleb Williams didn’t get to this point on talent alone. The Chicago Bears quarterback has been working every day for many years to put himself in this position. It goes as far back as peewee football when he told his father that he wanted to play in the NFL. Carl Williams put forth a challenge to his son. If he was serious about it, he must be willing to put in the necessary work. No shortcuts. Williams accepted and never let up in his pursuit. He won a state championship in high school, won the Heisman in college, was the #1 overall pick in the draft, and is now a playoff-winning quarterback for the Bears.
It makes you wonder what he did to become so good. Sure, he’s a world-class athlete with a cannon for an arm. Yet plenty of other QBs fit that criteria and never quite found success in the NFL. Williams appeared on the popular program Hot Ones, where he was asked a fascinating question.
What weird or unusual rabbit hole has he gone down in years past to improve his game?
Williams’ answer was pretty enlightening. He revealed that at one point, as a kid, he became obsessed with perfecting his throwing mechanics. Every motion must be perfect. To accomplish this, he took inspiration from the 1980s classic, The Karate Kid. Repetitive, mundane tasks build the muscle memory to establish the foundational skills for success.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Caleb Williams continues to show his underrated intelligence.
Most kids or young teens would’ve watched that movie and missed the overarching message. Not Williams. He immediately saw what Mr. Miyagi was trying to teach Daniel-san and understood how he could apply it to his own pursuit of success. You certainly can’t argue with the results. Not only does the Bears quarterback have one of the strongest arms in the NFL, but he also has great mechanics that have led to some jaw-dropping passes over his first two seasons in the league. Much of that stems from his obsessive work to throw the right way.
Hall of Famer Dan Marino took the same approach. At a young age, spurred by his father, he worked tirelessly to perfect his throwing motion. What resulted was probably the quickest, most precise release ever witnessed in NFL history. It helped Marino earn a gold jacket. Caleb Williams took a similar approach. The only difference is that he got his motivation from a classic movie. It isn’t the starting point. It’s the result. Williams will try anything if he feels it will make him better. That is why he keeps finding success.
Ben Johnson and the coaches see the evolution in real time.
The Bears head coach admitted that Williams had a goofy side to him last season. While that isn’t a bad thing, there are times when you need to get serious. By all accounts, Williams is much more serious about his job this summer. He has taken increased ownership of the offense and is on teammates about every mistake. No cutting corners. He got a taste of success last year. Now he wants the whole pie. As we’ve seen, the quarterback tends to elevate every time he passes a certain milestone.
Daniel-san eventually won a karate tournament against long odds at the end of his movie. Williams aims to follow that same path. He has an unwavering belief in his ability and that of his teammates. Such confidence is one of his greatest weapons. If Mr. Miyagi were a football fan, he’d be proud of what the Bears quarterback has accomplished. It is another reminder of how powerful a medium cinema can be.
