Caleb Williams had plenty to feel good about after the Chicago Bears walked out of Seattle with a 34-17 win over the Seahawks on Monday, Nov. 2. But the rookie quarterback’s postgame remarks about Chicago’s identity drew a sharp response from ESPN analyst Chris Canty.
Williams made his comments after the Bears improved to 6-2 with the road victory over the defending Super Bowl champions at Lumen Field. When he talked about the atmosphere in Seattle, he brought up what he had been told after arriving in Chicago.
“When I was brought here, they told me that, even through the times of Jordan and things like that, winning these championships, that it’s a Chicago Bears town,” Williams said.
That line became the focus on Tuesday’s episode of “First Take,” where Canty pushed back hard on the reference to Michael Jordan’s championship era in Chicago.
“I don’t know why he [Williams] got to be a goofy after he won the biggest game of the season so far on Monday Night Football in a primetime spot,” Canty said.
“I get that you’re riding high. Y’all just beat the reigning, defending champs in their house, but you ain’t got to go to the place of talking about Michael Jordan and where Chicago was in the ’90s, dog.”
Canty then pointed to Jordan’s run with the Bulls, making sure the numbers were front and center.
“They won six championships in a decade with two separate three-peats. Stop it,” Canty added.
Host Shae Cornette stepped in to clarify that Williams was not trying to compare himself to Jordan. She said the quarterback was talking about Chicago’s football identity, not putting himself in the same conversation as the Bulls legend.
“He said, ‘It’s a Bears town,’ and he said, ‘Even, I was told when I came here, even back in the ’90s, in the Jordan years, it was a Bears town.'”
Canty still wasn’t buying it. He suggested the message Williams received was off base from the start.
“Whoever told him that lied to him,” Canty said.
Williams’ night on the field backed up the confidence. He finished 24 of 34 for 247 yards and a touchdown in the win over Seattle, a performance that helped Chicago keep rolling under head coach Ben Johnson.
After the game, Johnson kept the focus on the bigger picture, saying, “We’re still building. And this is part of that process right now.”
For now, the Bears are stacking wins. Canty just wants Williams to leave the Michael Jordan comparisons out of it.
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