ESPN broadcaster and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman said he was ‘‘caught off-guard’’ by backlash on social media and bristling from the Bears about his critique of quarterback Caleb Williams during the ‘‘Monday Night Football’’ game last week against Commanders.
Aikman called Williams’ 55-yard touchdown pass to running back D’Andre Swift partly “luck” because it was a short pass that Swift turned into a long gain and was critical overall of Williams’ accuracy. Williams said some of it was fair, but he and head coach Ben Johnson objected to Aikman nitpicking them on a night in which the Bears won 25-24.
‘‘I’m still not real sure exactly what it’s all about, but it’s part of the job,’’ Aikman said on The Ticket, a Dallas radio station. ‘‘People are motivated for different reasons, so however it got initiated, I’m not real sure. But it’s not something that I really lose much sleep over.’’
He went on to add: ‘‘I’m a fan of [Williams]; I like the way he plays.’’
The day after the game, Johnson brought up that ‘‘a few people’’ weren’t impressed by how the Bears won, and Williams made a ‘‘fun troll’’ Instagram post about Aikman’s commentary. He said he would use the criticism as ‘‘a little bit of fuel, a little bit of motivation.’’
Williams finished the game 17-for-29 for 252 yards and a touchdown for a 98.6 passer rating.
Aikman and Williams didn’t meet or talk leading up to the game, which is unusual for a broadcaster and starting quarterback. Williams said that their schedules didn’t line up and that he tried to reach Aikman by phone after practice one evening but didn’t get him.
The Bears aren’t scheduled to be on ESPN for the rest of the season.
