Jaquan Brisker Issues a Statement Regarding Bears and Caleb Williams’ Criticism
Over the last several months of the 2024 NFL offseason, Aquan Brisker seemed to have grown weary of the media’s critiques of the Chicago Bears and their culture.
Brisker recently turned to social media to voice his displeasure with one of the most recent on-air opinions on the Bears and their chances with presumed No. 1 choice Caleb Williams. Joy Taylor, anchor of Fox Sports 1’s “Speak” program, gave this opinion on April 11.
Fans shouldn’t expect Williams to lead the Bears to the postseason as a rookie in 2024, according to Taylor, since the organization’s flaws will be the reason, not his skill. Chicago is a squad that “has no culture, has no history of winning as of late [and] whose coach we don’t know is a good head coach,” according to her criticism of Chicago.
Brisker took the high road and responded, “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see,” to Taylor’s accusations, sharing the video to his X account.
Since the Bears acquired general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus in the 2022 offseason, they have placed a strong emphasis on improving the culture. Poles has often expressed his willingness to act in the best interests of his players, as seen by the way he handled the trade of quarterback Justin Fields in March. The Bears won four of their final six games in 2023 as a result of those efforts, which also began to pay off.
Now, the issue is: With a few new components, can the Bears sustain it in 2024?
Taylor’s Rebuttals to Bear Arguments Hold No Water
There is some truth to Taylor’s argument that the Bears won’t make the playoffs in 2024. In addition to improving on their 7–10 result in 2023, they also need to outperform the other NFC playoff candidates, which include the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, two division rivals. Given that most of those teams improved this offseason, it is reasonable to question the Bears’ ability to stay competitive against a rookie quarterback who hasn’t been used much.
However, compared to the typical team that has the first overall choice in the draft, the Bears are in a far better position. The team with the first pick is usually coming off of the worst season in NFL history, but Chicago fought for a wild-card spot last season until Week 17, and that was despite blowing three of the most double-digit fourth-quarter leads in NFL history.
That’s a club that’s about to take off, not one that is now in the bottom of the league.
The Bears’ 2024 roster has also seen a number of notable additions. They extended the contract of cornerback Jaylon Johnson, one of their defensive cornerstones, for an extended period of time. They made a deal to get Keenan Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, and Ryan Bates, a new center. Even more, Poles overspent in the running back market, securing a $24 million contract for the explosive D’Andre Swift.
Remember that they also own the ninth overall selection in this year’s draft, which should provide them with another reliable starter for their squad when they most need it.
Is Williams’ ability to guide the Bears to the postseason in 2024 assured by all of that? No, but things are not as bad as talk-show presenters like Taylor would have you think.
Is Caleb Williams Able to Adjust to the Bears Quickly?
How quickly Williams adapts at the NFL level may have a big impact on the Bears’ chances of making the playoffs in 2024. While there are still other flaws with their squad that need to be resolved before the season, the team has not had much experience with elite quarterback performance. Of course, the Bears’ inability to produce a single 4,000-yard passer in their 104-year history is the most agonizing proof of this truth.
Williams’ ability to alter that as a rookie would be crucial to the Bears’ success.
The Bears have taken a few steps to assist position Williams for early success, even if his play will ultimately determine his NFL destiny. In order to accommodate Williams’ skills, they are creating a new offensive scheme and have appointed Shane Waldron to take Luke Getsy’s place as offensive coordinator.
Despite not having formally picked Williams yet, the Bears have already begun to teach him the offense. Ahead of Williams’ March 20 USC pro day, Eberflus said during the NFL league meetings in late March that they had begun offensive installs with him. Additionally, he stated that their objective was to assess his retention from his April 3 visit to Chicago as part of his Top 30 tour.
The Bears’ desire to get Williams adjusted highlights their need to win in 2024, even if Williams still needs to show that he can run the offense.
For Heavy.com, sports reporter Jordan J. Wilson covers the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Cubs. He has previously covered sports at every level, from high school to professional, for a range of media, such as The News-Gazette, The Indianapolis Star, Springfield State-Journal Register, and Peoria Journal Star. Additional information on Jordan J. Wilson
