Caleb Williams responds to Troy Aikman criticism in Instagram post
ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Troy Aikman is not the biggest fan of Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears secured a 25-24 walk-off victory over the Washington Commanders in one of two MNF games this week on a last second field goal. It was a wild game with plenty of twists and turns. The Bears jumped out to a 13-0 lead before the Commanders stormed back to take an 8 point lead in the fourth quarter. However, Caleb Williams led the game-winning drive after a Jayden Daniels fumble for Chicago’s third straight victory after an 0-2 start.
After well-documented struggles during his rookie season, Caleb Williams has shown signs of growth in year two under the guidance of new head coach Ben Johnson. He’s up 27 passing yards per game, his quarterback rating has increased from 87.8 to 98.0, and he’s on pace to take half the sacks he did in his rookie season where he led the league.
But Troy Aikman didn’t appear ready to heap praise on Williams, Johnson, and the Bears just yet. Bears fans were up in arms on social media because of what they perceived to be overly negative commentary from the former Dallas Cowboys legend.
In fact, it was a topic of conversation on Chicago radio the day after and even made it all the way to Ben Johnson, who responded with a subtle nod to the situation.
As for Caleb Williams, he responded himself with a series of pictures from the game in an Instagram post and attributing a quote from Troy Aikman saying, “It was lucky.”
Caleb Williams might be responding to the fourth quarter touchdown that he threw to D’Andre Swift. Swift turned an out route into a lengthy touchdown that brought the Bears back to within two points. And he indeed called the route and the eventual touchdown “luck.”
Was Troy Aikman really that biased against Caleb Williams? I’m sure both he and ESPN would say that’s not the case. But any critical commentary of quarterbacks is going to stand out in an age where few if any are ever criticized from other top network analysts – see Tony Romo calling a Josh Allen game or Cris Collinsworth constantly praising Patrick Mahomes. And Aikman was quick to point out any miss that he perceived Williams to make, even on clear drops by his own wide receivers.
Chicago Bears fans certainly saw enough on Monday night to suggest that Troy Aikman was harder on Caleb Williams than he could or should have been. And now that it’s made it back to the player and his coach, we’ll see if it provides some extra motivation to continue their winning streak and prove him wrong.
Dallas Cowboys’ Biggest Problem Summed Up in 3 Words
The Dallas Cowboys are getting close to what will be a make or break season for the franchise. There’s a lot of hope surrounding the team, thanks to having a new leader in Brian Schottenheimer, but Schottenheimer isn’t going to have much time to turn this franchise around. For a team like the Cowboys, who are considered “America’s Team,” expectations are high, and the team has fallen short for too long.
So, Schottenheimer, quarterback Dak Prescott and company are on a mission to become one of the strongest teams in the NFL once again. Last season, Prescott spent much of the year out with an injury, so the team had to rely on their backup quarterbacks, both of whom have left the team. So, the Cowboys are putting their trust into backup quarterback Joe Milton if something with Prescott happens again.
Well, the Dallas Cowboys went up against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, August 16, and fell with a final score of 31-13. The most concerning part, though, was Milton’s performance.
The Dallas Cowboys Have a Problem
Let’s hope Prescott doesn’t get injured again, but if he does, it could be a problem. In a piece published on Saturday, August 16, following the loss to Baltimore, Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk and NBC Sports sums up the Cowboys’ biggest problem perfectly in three words.
He says the team has a “backup quarterback problem.” That certainly seems to be the case.
“It’s obvious the Cowboys have a backup quarterback problem,” he adds.
Despite Milton’s rough performance on Saturday, Schottenheimer says he’s not worried.
“I wouldn’t say I’m concerned,” he said following the game in a conference. “We didn’t get into rhythm offensively. What we did in the first half against the Rams, I think we came out a little bit of a different mindset in terms of trying to run the ball. They got him.”
Schottenheimer added, “They fooled him a little bit on the safety on the third-down there. We were trying to get the ball out of his hand fast. They showed down one side and brought the blitz from the other side, and it just spooked him. He’s got to try to throw that ball away, and his feet were kind of talking to him.”
Dallas Cowboys Coach Brian Schottenheimer Won’t Scapegoat Quarterback
The head coach also said that he wasn’t going to scapegoat Milton. He’s obviously not the only one on the field.
“It wasn’t just Joe. We have to be able to run the ball better,” he said. “We have to be able to take care of the ball. He throws the ball with a lot of tempo. I thought [fullback] Hunter [Luepke] had a ball he could have made a catch on.”
He added, “Again, you hit a couple of those things it gets you going. Sometimes you need somebody to help you make a play. I don’t think we did a great job of that.”
The Dallas Cowboys traded for Milton during the offseason after letting Rush walk. Their other quarterback is Will Grier. While it’s certainly a concern to see the kind of backup quarterback situation the Dallas Cowboys are facing, they’re not the only team in the NFL in this situation. Hopefully Prescott can stay healthy this season and keep up the good stats, because if not, the outcome will be a question mark.
