Caleb Williams Channeled Evan Neal to Clap Back at His Notre Dame Troll and it's Not the Best Look for a Future No. 1 Pick
If it's possible to have a bad week when you're a Heisman Trophy winner, a mortal lock to the No. 1 overall pick any year you decide to enter the NFL draft, and you're being called by some nothing less than the greatest prospect that's come out, Caleb Williams is having it. He's coming off perhaps his worst career game. Had to put up with unsufferable twat.
Advertisement
Followed by reports that he's going to demand a piece of the ownership of whatever team he decides to allow to draft him. A plan that not only against league rules, carries with it the added benefit of being profoundly stupid an impractical. What owner would give a piece of his great, great grandchildren's estate? How does the salary cap hit of a move like that work out? What happens five years into his career when he leaves in free agency? It's ludicrous that anyone in Williams' circle wouldn't work these things out and kill the idea before they leak it out.
But to circle back to the South Bend dildo, it was only a matter of time before Williams would be asked about it. And his answer left a little something to be desired:
“Everybody wants to be in these two size 12 and a half shoes right here. I’m not worried about some kid running on the field who doesn’t really have anything associated with Notre Dame other than possibly their family going there or him going there himself. I’ve got a lot of guys over here that I’ve got to lead. An opinion of a sheep? Lions don’t worry about that, so I’ll keep moving on and keep fighting."
I'll cut Williams a lot of slack here because he's still only 21 and because I'm grateful to my Creator every day that when I was a college junior no one was sticking a camera in my face and asking me questions. For that matter, I don't think anyone was asking me questions, period. Certainly not my professors.
Besides, the way things are going, my NFL team might be in a position to draft Williams. And if they do, I'm just interested in him being able to run an offense and be a good teammate. I don't need my quarterback to be Pericles of Athens when it comes to answering questions.
But at the same time, it's hard to ignore the douchiness baked into this one. Everyone wants to be in his impressively large shoes. He's got to be a leader of men. And worst of all, the sheep and lions thing, which might sound familiar because mere days ago an NFL veteran got dragged for using the same words:
Advertisement
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: #Giants RT Evan Neal says that the fans who criticize him probably “flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere” via @DarrylSlater
Evan Neal also says some of the Giants fans are “fair weather” and “bandwagons” for booing the team when things aren’t going well. He says he knows that he has to improve.
“Why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep?
Granted, there's a big distinction here. Neal went with the trope of assuming anyone who criticizes him must have an entry level service-sector job, which touches a nerve with anyone with no tolerance for hearing working people get put down. Williams only shit on the numbskull who got in his face for being from Notre Dame. Which is offensive to a Fighting Irish fan like me who's married to a St. Mary's (ND's sister school grad). But does resonate with millions of Americans, including my "Rudy was offsides" friends.
But in the wake of these other reports about Williams trying to leverage NFL teams looking to draft him, this business of talking lions and sheep is a bit much to take if you're in a personnel department. It's at least enough to make you consider if the guy has gotten out over his skis a little. To at least raise the question in the scouting meetings as to whether or not the most surefire pick since John Elway might carry some risk with him after all.
That said, if this stuff scares off a team or two and that opens the door for the Patriots to draft him, then it's a pure good. By all means Caleb Williams, keep talking.