Hearts stopped, breaths were held and panic radiated across Bears nation in the 4th quarter of the Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Bears superstar Caleb Williams went down on a scramble without contact.
The immediate reaction to a non-contact injury is the worst fear no announcer ever utters on the broadcast, ACL. That’s exactly what was going on in the minds of every Chicago Bears fan and fan of the NFL.
Williams was seen on the ground riving in pain, twisting and turning, hitting the ground in pain and disappointment. The worst fears felt very real at the moment. Minutes later Williams is seen carted off the field with a towel covering his head. Uhh-ohh.
Your mind races to thoughts of the season being over. What will the Bears do going forward. Will it be a year till we see Caleb back again?
Shortly after the game, news began spreading that Williams sustained a hamstring injury. Now, hamstring injuries can be notoriously pesky and bad, but it’s not a ACL, PCL or MCL and a knee issue everyone was fearing.
Depending on the grade of the hamstring pull/tear, he can be out anywhere from days, to weeks to months. Grade 1 would be the best case scenario and could see Williams return in a few weeks. Grade 2 could be a couple months. Grade 3 could cost him the entire season.
The weather was nasty, wet and sloppy. Could have been a major culprit in the injury. Soldier Field field grass doesn’t have the best of reputations to begin with.
Either way, Williams avoided devastating injury and a huge sigh of relief could be heard throughout the organization and Bears fandom. But what came next was a pile on of online commentary and memes poking fun at “Iceman”.
Ok, some of them are worthy of a chuckle, but fans can be stupid and amateurish. It’s another thing when professional athletes start coming at you:
As a journeyman former NFL player, Compton should know a thing or two about injuries. In what position is he to take shots at a current player in a scary moment? It must be easy being in media and being able to run your mouth without having to take a single snap anymore.
Now, Compton wasn’t nearly as egregious as sports pundits, Craig Carton and Dave Portnoy:
Now I’m no fan of Portnoy, the guy talks so much trash and acts like some expert, when he’s just a fan who built a successful outlet. Carton is even less relevant, so it’s not like these opinions are coming from some athletes who know what it’s like to play and get injured. Still, don’t act like a tough guy and badass when you don’t know what it’s like to be a high-level professional athlete. At least Compton was an athlete. This is idiot commentary to bait a social media reaction, this is what these guys do.
Now that’s a far more relevant and sensible commentary. Maxx Crosby is a superstar player and he gets it. As he mentions in the clip, the initial reaction to it can be extremely painful and jarring. You can’t self-diagnose as an athlete in the moment like that. I can imagine his thoughts being OMG, did my season just end? Did I shatter the hopes of the franchise and the goals I had for myself and the team?
Caleb is an emotional and passionate guy. That’s what Bears fans love about him. He cares and wants to be great for this city. The “Iceman” will be back this season and the Bears season hopes are still alive and well. The expectations are high for the Bears and they won’t be met without Williams.
Exhale Bears nation, “The Iceman cometh!”