How Bad Was Caleb Williams’ Hammy Injury? We’ll Never Know If the QB Has Any Say

Caleb Williams has reappeared in front of a podium, people. What he said there left Rich with more questions than answers.

The timing matters. The Bears just lost to Green Bay, shuffled quarterbacks along the way with Case Keenum replacing Tyson Bagent, and could use Williams back against Atlanta in a big way. So when Williams stepped to the microphone, Chicago wanted to know about the hamstring. Williams wanted to talk about the reporting on the hamstring.

"There's nothing that has come out that has been right about what it is and what it has been," Williams said. His message to the media was that if it didn't come from "boss man himself" or "out of the horse's mouth, me," it was probably wrong, "which every single one has been."

So the Chicago media did the logical thing and asked the horse. Williams said it was "a hamstring tear and a pretty serious one." Did the team give him a grade? Yes, but he didn't think it "deserved to be put out there after all the false ones." Why keep it secret? "Because it's not deserving." And then, repeatedly: "Next question."

Rich's problem wasn't that Williams kept medical details private. When someone in the studio asked whether the quarterback was supposed to announce the exact grade of his hamstring, Rich said of course not. The problem was the sequence. If you stand in front of reporters and tell them they're all wrong, and that they should only trust what comes from you, and then they ask you for the correction, you can't just say next question.

"Then don't bring it up," Rich said. "It's like, okay, like what are we doing here?" In his view, it was "a waste of his goodwill there in that town."

Then there's the football question. Williams didn't commit to playing this week, saying he's been through the cutting and planting work and that "it's felt good," but that a full week of practice is different, with "the stress on the mind, body, and spirit." His conclusion: "We'll see how it goes this week."

The studio read the tea leaves. Would the Bears put him in front of the podium if he weren't ready or close? Probably not, and one voice said he'd be shocked if Williams doesn't play. They really need this one, too, with a tougher stretch looming after Atlanta.

Rich did give Williams one point. Williams also addressed the social media mockery and the memes, and on that, Rich was with him. The guy thought he was badly hurt when he was carted off. He just told everyone it was a tear. "Have we become as a sports viewing society that if you're carted off you better be out for the year, otherwise you'll be subject to ridicule?" Rich asked. "Being out for a month's not enough for everybody. Come on now."

His summary covered the whole saga. "Whole thing's silly. Let's just get back to playing football."

And Rich does want to see Williams against the Falcons, because if the offense Chicago showed in Green Bay shows up in Atlanta, it could get ugly. The studio agreed the Falcons would have a leg up. Literally and figuratively.