Most NFL fans probably know the name LeSean McCoy. He was a Pro Bowl running back for the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills before winning Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After retiring, he has become a top analyst for Speak on FS1. One of his most memorable rants came in 2022 when he declared Justin Fields a lost cause as a quarterback. Keep in mind he did that after the quarterback had one of his best games against the Miami Dolphins. McCoy called him an incredible athlete but utterly ineffective as a passer.
He never backed off this take, either. The former running back made his distaste for Fields known at every opportunity. He must’ve been sipping his tea when the Bears traded him to Pittsburgh for a conditional 6th round pick. Well, McCoy got the opportunity to assess their quarterback situation again when the topic of Caleb Williams came up. With the #1 overall pick’s reputation for holding the ball too long at times, one would think that McCoy would also scoff at his potential.
That wasn’t the case at all. The former Pro Bowler is a big believer in the Bears’ new quarterback.
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Unlike Justin Fields, Williams has qualities McCoy respects.
Keep in mind that he’s played with this type of quarterback for most of his career, starting with Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia before shifting to Michael Vick, Tyrod Taylor, and Patrick Mahomes. He also spent a year playing with Tom Brady. The guy understands what the good ones are supposed to look like. His assessment of Williams is encouraging. Those eyes are trained to spot the quarterbacks who can make plays with their arms in adverse conditions. Williams seems to have those necessary qualities.
Thankfully, the Bears aren’t making the same mistakes they need with Justin Fields. They spent the entire 2024 off-season doing everything in their power to ensure Williams has immediate success. They hired a proven offensive coordinator (Shane Waldron), signed a versatile running back (D’Andre Swift), and nabbed two legitimate weapons at wide receiver (Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze). If the offensive line does its job marginally well, McCoy is correct. Williams should have success in Chicago.
McCoy might be good for social media. “Big” gets clicks. Big opinions, big mouths. Like drunks when they leave a party in a quiet neighborhood. But projected opinions are projected opinions. When a player, who doesn’t know the position stands next to a player who’s accomplished, it isn’t much different than a clipboard holder standing next to an accomplished quarterback. Clipboard holder could have learned something, but it’s just as likely they’re riding coat tails and posing. Lesean McCoy may have been around some productive players, but every year, 53 others have been as well. It is probably more valuable… Read more »
It’s too early to make any kind of assessment on Caleb. I can agree with McCoy on the fact that Fields wasn’t an effective passer. Considering that’s what a QBs job is that makes Fields a great athlete playing QB. You can argue all you want about the ifs, but the fact is Fields will never be a top QB and will probably be a backup for most of his career. Now I was one of the greedy folks wanting to keep Fields and trade the number 1 pick for another boatload of draft picks. But if Caleb turns out… Read more »
*All* the Justin Fields haters are all in on Williams. Just like *all* the Mitch haters were all in on Fields. And *all* the Cutler haters were all in on Mitch. And *all* the Orton haters were all in on Cutler… ad infinitum.
The new guy is *always* going to fix everything all by himself. Until he can’t.
The moral of the story? PATIENCE. And if Caleb Williams doesn’t seem like the savior you were hoping for, don’t just blame him. Look at Waldron, Eberflus, Poles, Morgan, the OL – everything.
When I was watching Caleb, his running in the backfield kinda reminded me of McCoy. His change of direction was phenomenal back in the day. One of the most elusive open field runners ever, IMHO. JF always broke from the pocket to run forward. Mahomes runs when he has to. Similar with Caleb. He’s still looking downfield to make a play. It’s his vision of his surroundings, and the suddenness to his stop/start that really stand out to me. Similar to what Matt Ryan said about Jayden Daniels’ running ability that will buy him some time to develop as an… Read more »
When I read the headline I thought it was talking about TWTY.