Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is a unique player and personality, which can rub some people the wrong way depending on the circumstances.
Such has been the case this year regarding the second-year signal-caller’s interactions with the “Monday Night Football” broadcast tandem of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Buck spoke with Jimmy Traina of SI on a Thursday, December 18 podcast and discussed the interactions, or rather the lack thereof, between the MNF crew and Williams in both Week 1 and Week 6.
Williams missed a scheduled, and standard, production meeting with Buck and Aikman ahead of the team’s contest with the Washington Commanders on October 13, which the QB admitted to following that game. However, Buck said that Williams also blew off the same meeting prior to the Bears’ Week 1 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings, which also aired on Monday night.
“We had that same issue Week 1 with Caleb. And then we had it again,” Buck said. “I guess he brought it up saying, ‘Well, I didn’t talk to Troy before the game.’ But we sat on a Zoom waiting forever, and he just never came. I don’t know what else we can do.”
Caleb Williams Addressed Troy Aikman’s Criticisms Following Win Over Commanders in Week 6
GettyTroy Aikman of ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcast team.
The rift between Williams and the MNF team, particularly Aikman, came to the surface following the Bears-Commanders game in Week 6.
A number of viewers contended that Aikman called the contest with a bias during what ended up a Chicago victory, in which Williams played reasonably well, throwing for 252 yards and a touchdown while adding another score on the ground.
Williams responded to Aikman’s in-game criticism via a press conference two days later.
“Obviously, [Aikman] had some stuff to say about us, or about me, and I mean, we came out victorious in the end,” Williams said, per Newsweek. “It’s kinda how I’ve said over multiple times here — fair, not, life isn’t fair. People are going to say what they have to say.”
Caleb Williams, Bears Face Biggest Game of Season Against Packers in Week 16
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Hopefully for Chicago’s sake, the resurrection of the beef between Williams and Aikman just two days prior to the Bears’ biggest game of the season won’t prove a distraction.
But given how little attention Williams apparently paid to Buck and Aikman when he was supposed to, it may be unlikely he will get preoccupied with them now.
Chicago hosts the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Soldier Field. The Bears (10-4) hold a half-game lead over the Packers (9-4-1) in the NFC North Division, despite losing to Green Bay at Lambeau Field less than two weeks ago.
The winner of this weekend’s contest will have the inside track to winning the division and a good chance to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Should Chicago win, the team will be just one game out of first place in the conference behind the Seattle Seahawks (12-3) following their victory over the Los Angeles Rams on “Thursday Night Football.”
The Bears will be without wide receivers Rome Odunze (foot) and Luther Burden III (ankle), while the Packers will be absent edge-rusher Micah Parsons who is done for the year following an ACL tear against the Denver Broncos in Week 15.
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