Merril Hoge expands on his comment that Caleb Williams is 'not special' | 2024 Bears

NFL analyst Merril Hoge went viral recently after his harsh criticism of USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Hoge then joined Score host Mark Grote on his weekly On The Clock show to expand on his assessment of Williams as well as break down the other quarterback prospects in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
#MerrilHoge #CalebWilliams #chicagobears
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[@michaelmoore5526]

Very refreshing to hear Merril analysis on Caleb, fair and straight to the point.. he's not saying this kid will be a bust, he's saying not that generational talent everyone is claiming him to be.. which is okay.

[@Y2K2PointO]

Not only were the Chiefs a playoff team when Mahomes was drafted, they had Mitchell Schwartz & Eric Fisher (Best OT tandem in the NFL at the time), Tyreek Hill (HOF), Travis Kelce (HOF). He has transcended to a game changer, but he had a TON of help when he started. The thing that makes Mahomes “Mahomes” is his ability to perform in the clutch in the face of NFL defenses. There is no way to scout that, and if Caleb isn’t dedicated to working himself to the bone, he’ll be Kyler Murray at best. People need to stop projecting “The Next Mahomes” because NOBODY was calling Mahomes “The Next Brady”. All the best QBs In the league (except Burrow and Herbert) were drafted to playoff teams. They were able to learn in big moments. They weren’t forced to “save the franchise”.

[@VvVT734]

Exactly I try to tell people all the time we cannot skip that let of Mahomes journey. The surrounding teams matter. Fields and Williams has great talent. But let’s be real you can’t keep throwing rookie QBs to the wolves and just saying oh well he sucks.

[@ericparker163]

Glossing over CJ there but I get it, he's new. Which btw to your point, I see people saying "come out and have a CJ Stroud type of year......" I've never seen a rookie that poised and effective in the pocket so early. No one's going to see that again anytime soon same way that Mahomes won't be duplicated.

[@JA-xu1by]

10 months ago, Hoge graded only ONE quarterback as a first round talent…CJ Stroud He also said Manziel would be a bust.

[@lonsch]

He’s also graded way more QBs than that. He’s been wrong about most of them.

[@1x1vv]

yes he also said that jacob eason was better than justin herbert, jordan love, and jalen hurts. as well as having a second round grade on patrick mahomes

[@gund2281]

@@lonsch Most people are wrong about MOST QBs. The difference is, at least recently, Hoge has been MORE right about the top QBs than most.

[@johnnychimpo7539]

@@gund2281so that means he’s due to be wrong

[@niknok7969]

@@johnnychimpo7539 , no that means he’s improving in judging qb talent

[@JFApulia]

Was Merrill the one who called Manziel and another player out as poor prior to the draft?

[@anthonycoleman2229]

Jadeveon Clowney

[@bobsokoloski9559]

Hoge is right, spot on with his assessment. It's just people don't want to hear it.

[@royalace2271]

The issue with so many people today is that they would disregard his analysis because he "was wrong," before. But they never looked at the context of it. Nobody predicted Mahomes to be who's he is today. Mahomes was very raw drafted. But he sat for a year in what was the best situation a QB could be in. He wouldn't be the Mahomes today if he went to the Jets

[@blessingstoyou2126]

Why cant all of the sports media give a fair assessment like this guy

[@user-xo1sf7xg8w]

Same guy who wrote a book that CTE isnt a thing.

[@ericparker163]

Difference being, he actually knows about football. Don't think he's been Dr. Hodge at any point in his life.

[@gund2281]

Hoge is absolutely correct. Williams may have the TOOLS to be the next Mahomes, but Chicago fans want keep saying he will be that RIGHT AWAY! Problem is, Williams, like Mahomes, doesn't play in an offense where they do pro-style stuff. Mahomes had to sit a year to learn that, Williams would have to as well. That simply will not happen in Chicago and we will be back drafting ANOTHER QB in 3 years. The expectations put on Williams are not possible to live up to.

[@bear458ziif-s]

realistic fans are not saying he will be that right away. the team is much better this time around than when justin inherited the team. he has a good offensive coordinator now unlike justin. everything is there for him to develop into that guy. it will come down to his work ethic to be great.

[@skeletor9121]

The Chicago media will kill him too.

[@Pres14eng]

Hoge is completely right.

[@chitownboyz]

I been watching a lot of tape on Jayden Daniel and i hope Pole has done his homework. I hope Pole didnt fall in love with caleb and ignore other QBs like ryan pace did. Jayden daniels may just be a better pro with a higher ceiling

[@franknoneofya9585]

I think Jaylen Daniels is the better qb, love the fact that he's persevered after major failure. To me he's put in the work and that happened over a period of time, which means he prepared. Rattler has done the same, that shows mental toughness to me. When you're capable of stripping yourself down and change, that takes genuine fortitude.

[@michaelmills7543]

Jaden has better stats for this past season. JD 3812 yds 40 td 4 int. 72 % comp pct. 95.6 QBR CW 3633 yds 30td 5 int. 68.6 % completion pct. 82.4 QBR

[@grindn10101]

​@@michaelmills7543Do i really have to tell u JD was throwing to 2 first round Wrs. 1 top 10. Caleb had 2 7th rounders .

[@Downtownboys]

I agree with Hoge. Williams will be good, but he’s not a guy I would want to build my team around. Give Justin the teammates, then let’s talk.

[@wordtruth6116]

Hoge is spot on.

[@WWG3802]

Caleb is going to be straight. I wonder what he said about Patrick coming out

[@davidplaszenski]

He said Patrick was a mid to late round 2nd

[@llamarre4]

He said he’s a 3rd round talent lol

[@stevenwleklinski]

Remember Patrick fell into the perfect situation.

[@chitownboyz]

I think he said that mahomes was a second rounder but he did say either mahomes is gonna bust or be the most exciting player the NFL ever seen.

[@MarcoLiftz]

@@chitownboyzanyone can say stuff like that. He’s gonna be real good good or not good. See how easy that is 😂😂😂

[@cimerians]

Kurt Warner said the same thing he hasn't seen anything special

[@Packersnfcnorth]

Didn’t they say JaMarcus Russell can play from the pocket he can throw the ball 70 yards or 85 yards and how did he turn out?

[@chitownboyz]

That had more to do with Russell dedication to football than his abilities.

[@spiritualarchitect4276]

JaMarcus Russell could throw the ball 70 yards on his KNEES, which is what sold Al Davis on him. The problem was, he would not watch tape to study the other teams defense. When his coaches guessed that was his problem, they started inserting cartoons and porno in those tapes to see if he really was NOT watching them. He never watched a single one. Dude just took his money and became a bum sucking up cough syrup. Al Davis once offered the Bills $1,000,000 just to TALK to Jim Kelly. He would be doing the same thing today with the Bears. Because Caleb Williams can throw 70 yard on target touchdown BOMBS while standing on just his front foot, or just his back foot, or even with no feet - literally off the ground! Al Davis would definitely draft Caleb.

[@JustaComment93]

Stfu. Nobody wants Justin fields. NOBODY. HES WORSE THAN MITCH. if we don’t draft Caleb Williams I’m done with this Franchise. 2 generations of Watvhing this Team OVER.

[@corbenbellamy]

Caleb will save the bears. I find Hoge to be a moron just because Caleb has unique escapability he thinks he "cant play from the pocket" the dude had one of the worst offensive lines in college football of course he had to run around and make super hero plays. The kid is generational and people will see that soon enough@@JustaComment93

[@boneheadwingfield6508]

@@JustaComment93please stop watching, it’s tiresome to watch so much mayo babble

[@lonsch]

It’s so crazy to me that he proudly said he’s only watched 3 games in 2022 and 3 games in 2023 and he’s basing all this on 6 games. He should be laughed at for that

[@gund2281]

Except he's not wrong. As he said, Williams could end up being fine, but there's plenty of reasons to be skeptical.

[@andrebarnes3882]

How many games did he need to watch to identify his playing style? Or does watching all 12 give a different opinion of the player

[@gund2281]

@@andrebarnes3882 Dude seems to think watching Williams carve up McNeese St is gonna tell him something about his NFL readiness lol. These Williams cultists are simply insane.

[@TheRayzerBandit]

He doesn't need to micro analyze every snap Caleb has played in college in order to have a running opinion on Caleb's game. You only need a few games to truly get a general picture of the general pro's and con's of a QB, regardless he said here that he's now gone throw all of Caleb's tape for this year. He stated that then so people knew that those weren't going to be his final opinions on Caleb but 6 games is plenty to know that people are too caught up in the glamor of his highlight plays to understand that most of those plays won't translate to the NFL and Caleb will need time to adjust to the NFL. Not become the next "Patrick Mahomes" as every other analyst keeps comparing him to.

[@TheSTRILLA]

Exactly, he’s stood on that and ppl out here like “Hoge is spot on”, that’s ridiculous

[@jasonloftisii4336]

I love the hate on Hoge when he's evaluating a QB unbiased (tho he was on the 94 bears), and he calls it as he sees it.

[@illcack]

So his analysis essentially boils down to only drafting top five NFL QBs after you hop in your time machine.

[@Mrbx8gz]

He was saying Burrow and Stroud were special when they were coming out

[@calabis]

He called Stroud and Burrow.

[@Y2K2PointO]

He DID call Stroud Special. Dude has more hits than misses.

[@Rosepapi]

@@Y2K2PointO Didn't like Luck, Rodgers or Mahomes, there was a consensus on Burrow and Stroud was the 2nd graded QB not that much of a stretch. Don't treat it like this man speaking the gospel.

[@juice3859]

@@Rosepapito be fair in most situations mahomes isn’t mahomes same with Rodgers, a lot of these special arm talents need a year or two to sit behind a good qb to learn a great system along with good pieces. Caleb would have a bad o line one good reciever and definitely not Andy Reid calling plays

[@Frizzlefrail]

He’s right he wont be special.

[@repit23]

he was right about stroud

[@Ep1cRainbow]

cool he was wrong about a bunch as well, but I'm sure you don't care about that

[@1x1vv]

cool he said mahomes was a second rounder case closed

[@Jay-kz6ge]

Hoge thought Mahomes was so special he had a 2nd round grade on him.

[@1SuperD1]

Mahomes wasn’t the QB he is now coming out of college. He had the best players in the NFL to throw to and he had amazing coaches who developed him. Was he a second round guy idk but he wasn’t a generational QB coming into the NFL.

[@Jay-kz6ge]

@@1SuperD1 Doesn't matter. If Hoge was actually a good evaluator of talent. He would be on an NFL team. All he did was wanted people talking about him and his absolutely terrible take after evaluating CW after watching 6 games.

[@jaysoncarter3171]

Thats the whole point of being a talent evaluator you have to be able to see what they’re going to be not what they are. If everyone knew what Patrick was going to be they would have ask him to skip college and just wait 3 years to be picked 1.

[@1SuperD1]

@@Jay-kz6ge that’s a ridiculous comment. How do you know what he wants to do? Do you know him? Get out of your feelings. The guy elaborated on what he said and he gave legitimate reasons as to why he said it. He had no ill intent. There are hundreds of people giving their opinion and nobody knows who’s right or who’s wrong until Williams gets to the NFL.

[@Jay-kz6ge]

@@1SuperD1 Hoge is terrible. Get out of your feelings for him.

[@RedCGaming]

At this point everyone has beat this conversation like a dead horse. I just want the bears to finally get it right and be successful!

[@robertbougher8820]

To say Caleb can’t play from the pocket is insane. Did Mr. Hoge take into account that he was playing behind arguably the worst offensive line in college football. He was running for his life much of the time. Also, to say he’s not playing in a “pro system” differs from what every scout has said. In fact just watched Chase Daniel state specifically on a recent breakdown that SC’s offense identical to a pro system. Having watched every single game Caleb has played in college, Caleb’s only downside is that he’s almost always big play hunting, when the easiest, smartest play is the dump off to the back for a small gain. He gets into a pattern of not taking what’s given to him. That’s his flaw.

[@gregspauldini3139]

Agree with everything you said. His flaw is definitely big play hunting, and he was really forced into having that mindset with how bad his defense was. They had to put up a lot of points to win games. I think part of that to is when you have his kind of abilities it's way more appealing to look for big plays then checking down to an open guy in the flat. Not sure why people don't think he can learn to adjust at the nfl level though. Mahomes learned to do it, and Allen is still learning to do it. I mean I'd take Allen over anyone other then Mahomes and possibly Burrow, and he's always looking for big plays. Again you have to know when to go for it and when not too. But I love that Williams has the ability to go out and do it. Cause Fields is not that guy.

[@akimduchard6670]

And Justin wasn't at a pro level , and u want cw to come and play better in the same scenario... dumb dumb dumb

[@chitownboyz]

Kurt Warner said on Twitter that all these QBs are hard to Evaluate Because they don't play in a pro offense That requires them to process And play on schedule.

[@robertbougher8820]

@@chitownboyz ~ I heard him on the radio explaining that tweet, what he meant primarily was playing under center not schemes, route concepts and progressions.

[@JoseSantiago-pz6my]

Im not an expert evaluater but a couple things that I seen Caleb do that justin doesnt is grip and rip and make anticipation throws.

[@kylenewberry8598]

Yet JF did that all day in college then got to Chicago with no wr and no line lol. So running for his life it became.

[@johnnychimpo7539]

@@kylenewberry8598you are wrong. The same issues Justin had in college are still apparent in his game now Justin had DJ and kmet and Mooney, yet he put up 2500 yards lol

[@MarcoLiftz]

@@kylenewberry8598na you literally didn’t look at his scouting report lol

[@calabis]

​@johnnychimpo7539 Mooney is garbage. JF had a 109 rating to Moore and a 102 rating to Kmet,

[@kylenewberry8598]

@@MarcoLiftz which would be that he was raw and had an arm of a god? lol.

[@royalace2271]

His analysis is often spot on. It really comes down to whether the QB can fix their bad habits, improved and how much dedication and work they put in. But from his analysis of game tape on QBs, he's pretty much spot on

[@bigjun913]

Speaks a lot about your knowledge guys, it was not always accuracy, but recievers who are not where they suppose to be, because they are timing routes and the combined 50 percent drops by the rest of the receivers other than Moore...smh

[@skeletor9121]

Amen brother. Yet you have all these Caleb lovers who think just by drafting him the Bears will be in the SB.

[@anthonywilson4783]

Why does Grote try to persuade the expert??? And who made Grote an expert?

[@themaestro8671]

Well said and they all do it... parkins and spiegel are the worse with the anti-justin rhetoric

[@akimduchard6670]

He was Also the one who said Khalil mack was a better player that clowny... can any body disagree

[@chrisn6458]

Poles will prefer Maye after combine.

[@johnnychimpo7539]

No Caleb

[@Sulleymon21]

Why does he want the Bears to keep Fields?

[@swat686]

Multiple reasons. JF is trash in the pocket and was using a different stance instead of his usual stance. Luke had him trying a new stance so he be versatile within his passing abilities. That’s one reason he wasn’t running as much this season. At the end of the season he was looking more comfortable in the packet. Not great but better when under the center as well. Williams is barely under the center and his pocket presence is ok but he has room to get much better. When he’s under center or staying in the pocket, he misses open receivers at times. Throwing on the run is his best attribute and his accuracy is on point. Like JF defense all this took away his legs and forced him to beat them from the pocket. It’s be the same once he play against other NFL teams. Sorry didn’t mean to make my reply so long.

[@joem8496]

Shut it Merrill the bears about to get a haul and you're gonna blow it

[@MarcoLiftz]

Na

[@paulneuin2531]

I do agree honestly if you actually watch film

[@user-yy7oi3eh8c]

Q1 (January, February, March) Q2 (April, May, June) Q3 (July, August, September) Q4 (October, November, December)

[@zaphenath73]

I’m not call CW a hall a gamer but DB was shorter. If the young man put in the work with his relent, his potential is very high! Drew Brees Height 6′ 0″, Weight 209 lbs JF got traded to the Steelers!

[@blackstealth2]

Ppl are not realizing that Poles chose Tyson Bagent over PJ Walker because Bagent was better in the pocket. Poles knows what he is doing. He know what he wants. He isn’t completely sold on Williams.

[@AssfaceOmega]

Wasn’t this the guy who said the Colts should take RG3 over Luck?

[@MusSuk2BU]

You mean the RGIII who went on to win the rookie of the year...over Luck...and who the Colts wanted to draft #1 overall except that RG3 refused to even take the interview, so they had to take Luck? That's public knowledge buddy. But if that's the same RG, then yes, it's the same guy who was spot on...again😂

[@primafacie9721]

@@MusSuk2BUMac Jones made the Pro Bowl his rookie season. How'd that turn out?

[@4orrcountry]

​@primafacie9721 Not REALLY...Mac Jones was named as a REPLACEMENT player after others declined to play in the game.

[@reggiep6471]

I know that people say this guy knows a lot about scouting quarterbacks but he clearly isn’t watching the film here. Williams is under duress 70 to 80 percent of the time he’s in the pocket, and many times that pressure was coming immediately. The fact that he can extend plays, even on plays that he should be looking to get rid of the ball quickly, shouldn’t be held against him because he’s not looking for the five yards second and short, because he knows he can extend the play which ultimately allows his receivers to get wide open. USC hasn’t had the kind of talent that LSU and OSU has had for a long time. And no one was thinking that Joe Burrow was going to be a star quarterback when he was in his third year in college, nobody. Nobody was thinking that P Mahomes was going to be the best quarterback in the league when he was coming out of college. Rather than criticizing the player just say I don’t see it.

[@noahadams8305]

“Caleb won’t have recievers running wide open in the nfl” …. “The only special players in the last 6 years are burrow and stroud” …. Stroud and burrow had 3 of the best wr prospects in decades on their college teams and Caleb doesn’t have a single NFL receiver??? Having a really hard time following the argument

[@jackbryan4676]

Was this analysis brought to us by Jack Daniels or Wild Turkey?

[@MrJimih1]

Respect to Merril. I think he hit the nail on the head. Great athlete but might not be the best QB ever.

[@bear458ziif-s]

"his pocket presence is not special". this is what i don't understand in his argument. anyone that's watched his film will tell you it's one of his elite traits. it's not something that's hidden or difficult to see. it's obvious which is why it makes zero sense to me. i think there's clear bias from the off the field "concerns".

[@kevinmorrell4598]

Thanks for defining special

[@censored1360]

Seems he a smaller and slower JF1 maybe a bit more accurate but he reminds me of Mitch he was so accurate coming out

[@NellR-lg9cn]

Ben Simmons was the Next LeBron but didn't have the "IT Factor" - MaHomes has the "IT Factor", but I do not understand why "IT Factor is given to Caleb on jump.

[@Rogue615]

Glad were getting JD HAIL

[@user-br1em5vm5e]

Caleb doesn’t play under center. Shotgun only takes you so far. If bears draft him and I think they don’t but he’s going to struggle Keep Justin and trade the pick

[@skeletor9121]

Bears have more needs than just an upgrade at QB. Trade down and build through the draft.

[@ye7006]

Very easy to tel who has an honest opinion on a player and who has a vendetta against him bc of fashion choice

[@ronaldfox6272]

People aren’t understanding what Hoge is saying. Williams has a special and unique skillset with his elusiveness. I’m a law student at usc. I haven’t missed a Caleb game in two years. Guys simply makes all pro RB moves. Not a burner, but he is SLIPPERY. because usc RPO system, and lack of protection, he LEANED on his movement exclusively. In the nfl, this IS a curse. Because unless you have Lamar Jackson movement package (speed/agility/elusiveness), you gonna get caught and banged up. Lamar had this issue until Monken arrived. Caleb being labeled Mahomes, means he likely will big game hunt chunk plays rather than make the immediate read. USC didn’t have lsu skill guys/OSU skill guys, or a defense. Because of this, he always needed the big play to keep us in games. In the nfl, the BEST play is to take the immediate play. It saves you from injury/turnovers. I think Williams a superstar. What hoge is technically saying, and I agree, is with the BEARS roster, will he use his SECOND unique greatest gift (accuracy), and get the ball out to guys who are open and re-wire his mind from chasing big plays. Because in the nfl, the defense simply will get to you. I think Caleb is gonna play within structure and adapt. He should break many rookie passing records with Moore/Allen. When merril did these interviews, bears hadn’t upgraded their roster via FA yet.

[@NFLfanalyst]

I’m only 10 minutes in and all I keep thinking is how can Hoge have this strong of an opinion on Caleb yet still have advocated for Fields in the original interview? I don’t necessarily disagree with some of what he’s said but to say Caleb isn’t good in the pocket but then claim that the Bears should hold on to Fields is laughable in my opinion, Fields in the pocket looks like a chicken with his head cut off which is a big reason he’s always fumbling the ball and eating sacks. It’s just inconsistent in how he’s choosing to decide which QB the Bears should go with. If you didn’t know he was talking about Caleb, you’d literally think he was describing Fields’ first 3 years. Halfway through this interview and I feel like he’s even less credible. He’s totally overstating Caleb’s issues while downplaying Fields’s problems.

[@j8k3d18]

I am less dispassionate than you on the Bears’ QB, and I agree with you on many fronts. First, he says “eating sacks is awful” to an offense. Fields eats sacks like a trash can at middle school. “Pocket awareness” - if Fields ain’t on a bootleg, it looks like he has never seen a pass rush in his life, “Accuracy is critical” - Fields has sailed so many open routes I can’t list them all, and then Hoge says Williams is elite in accuracy. Look - I love Fields. I have been a fan since OSU. I even demanded they keep him after the horrific GB game to end the season. Then? I watched all of the 2023 playoffs. I have no faith, even with new coaches and “all the playmakers and OL”, that Fields can be that guy, to get you a touchdown, when you need it most. Name ONE game, in 3 years, when Justin delivered in the clutch. Name one. Closest I could think of, was the Pittsburgh game his rookie year….that they lost. Honestly, as a long suffering Bears’ fan, I am at peace with whatever they do this year at QB, and will give Poles the benefit of the doubt. But if he passes on the 3-5 QB’s, and any ONE of them ball out? He’s done. It will show that he has no ability to scout and develop the most important position in sports. Can’t win long term with bad or average QB play. Brock Purdy was a nice story. Loaded team. Didn’t win. Ask Jimmy G how that feels.

[@NFLfanalyst]

@@j8k3d18 yeah I agree with you, it’s just strange how critical some of these analysts are in the moment but when you break down their arguments it sounds like they haven’t even evaluated either the rookie or Fields in depth. I wanted Fields to work out as much as every other Bears fan, but we can’t keep acting like his flaws are fixable but a rookie can’t be coached out of his. It’s a ridiculous argument.

[@Oogaboogaoogaooga]

The reason he’s team fields is because of the value of the 1st pick. Keeping fields who has a similar skill set to Caleb and trading the pick is a much safer bet than drafting Caleb, who will likely struggle the same way as justin has with a mediocre roster for years to come. I’ll be happy with whatever Poles decides to do, but Im leaning more towards trading the pick and loading the roster.

[@NFLfanalyst]

@@Oogaboogaoogaooga you’re entitled to that opinion but I really don’t agree with it. I think if Justin Fields was the same caliber of prospect as Caleb, you wouldn’t have seen him slip in the draft. There’s a reason the vast majority of analysts and scouts are putting Caleb as the top prospect despite a QB class that is regarded as one of the best in recent memory. Now I’m not going to sit here and say I know what he’ll become, but saying they’re the same because they have some similarities doesn’t actually mean they are actually even close as prospects.

[@j8k3d18]

Sir - Justin and Caleb do NOT have similar skills sets. Not even close. They’re not even remotely close in trying to pair them with NFL QB comparisons, if that was the idea. We have no idea what kind of NFL QB Williams will be. Might be a huge bust, might be amazing. After 3 years, we have a pretty good idea of who Fields is. He has shown zero ability, to be that clutch, playoff, gotta have it touchdown drive QB, that all successful NFL teams strive for. And again, I really like Justin. If Poles passes on Williams, or passes on any of the Top 5 QB’s, if even ONE of them shows out at all? Poles is done. He will have shown he cannot scout or develop the most important position in sports…..two years in a row…..with the first pick in the draft. It will be inexcusable. I would even say, if the Bears trade down, and choose to avoid Williams, Maye, Daniels, Penix, Nix and even McCarthy, and the Bears limp into the playoffs with their “upgraded roster”, but Fields has a similar year to 2023, and any one of those QB’s plays well? Pole is done.

[@PompousPilot441]

I watched a bunch of snaps. Williams never had 4 seconds. His oline was horrendous

[@E09154]

This guy is all over the place

[@jeremiaherickson9]

I hope the Bears avoid Caleb and his dad because they get drafted together.

[@kyleb7753]

EXACTLY! Lavar Ball 2.0

[@JJ-zr6fu]

You mean the dad that’s developed the number one pick.

[@j8k3d18]

What does his Dad have to do with his ability to play QB? I’d rather have my Dad negotiating my NFL deal, than a Scott Boras type - I’d at least have a better chance he has my best interests at heart, than a soulless agent….who very well may be playing you against the team for other players - happens all the time. Merrill never played QB. Awesome - he called Johnny Manziel a bust. Join the club. What Merrill did NOT do was any valuation between whichever team has the first pick, and their existing QB. He tried to hedge his bet on Daniels, ever so slightly, but this feels like a hot take. Maybe Williams is a bust, but why are so many NFL teams wrong? If Hoge was so valuable, wouldn’t he work for an NFL team, with his impeccable record? Surely SOME team would value him enough to secure his services, were it gold.

[@kyleb7753]

@@JJ-zr6fu develop him as a man not as a player.

[@mtoro3918]

Dontell Willis when I see the marlins logo

[@rotoninja]

The same dude that said CTE is essentially fictional.

[@AkamatsuCreative]

I kept getting confused on if he was fading Fields or Williams. But he supports keeping Fields, but Williams has special accuracy and a lot of other tools, but he's not as good as Stroud, who was only lauded as special after he had a special rookie NFL year, not as a prospect... a lot to unpack here.

[@royalace2271]

Merrill did predict Stroud as having more success in NFL because of the way he processes and plays in the pocket. Hes similar to Joe Burrow in that aspect. He also wasn't as high on Bryce Young coming out of draft

[@AkamatsuCreative]

@@royalace2271 The Bryce story is more of an indictment of the Carolina dumpster fire (this everybody got fired) and zero help than what he'll actually be in the NFL. Ppl calling him some kind of bust is weird to me--after 30-40 starts and some kind of supporting cast, we'll know where he's at.

[@hershilparekh8654]

He’s great in the pocket accurate and has a huge arm

[@bear458ziif-s]

yeah it's genuinely baffling to me that he somehow came to the conclusion that his pocket presence isn't special. that's literally one of his special traits.

[@TheRayzerBandit]

@@bear458ziif-s Pocket presence and pocket awareness are two different things. Caleb has the awareness and the ability to maneuver the pocket that is out of this world, but his ability to stick to the pocket and make reads on a consistent bases isn't there as much. That's what "isn't special" about him, there are times he can sit in the pocket and make a read (delivering an amazingly accurate ball) but too often does he hold off on the first read because he wanted to find the HR play. That's how he got the 5th highest time to throw average in all of D1. Against the PAC-12 defenses he could get away with that, because the entire conference didn't have a single passing defense that was ranked in the top half of D1.

[@bear458ziif-s]

@@TheRayzerBandit i don't consider that pocket presence. that's more hero ball than anything. to me pocket presence is how you feel and sense pressure, move in and outside of the pocket, and also when you decide to move in and outside. it's more instincts based and natural whereas hero ball is more psychological and something that can be fixed. you either have pocket presence or you don't.

[@roberthughes2803]

​@@bear458ziif-sAgree with you 💯

[@franknoneofya9585]

Hes right, CJ Stroud was the first guy since Mahomes that I actually would want and I hate almost all the Ohio State qbs. Does Caleb do things in college that are exciting, yeah but do I think you will see some of the domination in the NFL, no I don’t, defenses take away a lot of the things he does. Now will he mature as a person to overcome those things, no I dont think so and here are the reasons why. His ego is already infalted to the tune that hes stated he deserves part ownership of what ever team he goes to. That type of mentality, will undoubtedly effect how he will prepare and guys that dont prepare usually fail and fail miserably. Weak minded, the guy broke when he failed and went to cry about his failure. To me that means he has a lack of introspective and unwillingness to become better. To me those 2 reasons alone would make me balk on a player.

[@spiritualarchitect4276]

I just had a long talk with Hodge’s dealer. I asked him WHY he is selling Hodge BAD crack. I’m paraphrasing here, but his dealer said it’s all about PROFIT. The dealer gets it for only $5 an ounce and Hodge pays $90 an ounce for it - no questions asked.

[@mikeb1039]

you haven't bought crack lately~!

[@spiritualarchitect4276]

@@mikeb1039 No need to, as Hodge shares his with me a couple times a week.

[@Ep1cRainbow]

I was a business man... doing business

[@mikeb1039]

@@Ep1cRainbow $5 oz, not so much business

[@spiritualarchitect4276]

@@Ep1cRainbow Haha

[@vincecunningham1955]

To me Bears fans are not seeing the Big picture. His negatives comp Russell Wilson. That's why hire Shane Waldron as OC. Then Eberflus needs to build his version legion of boom get a beast mode back like Josh Jacobs and Chicago is a playoff team. Caleb protects the ball better than Russ even with same off field weirdness. Simple formula. It's not Caleb as most would take him over Russ. It's that defense being as good as Seattle

[@Irving-gp9oc]

Former pro players--Hoge and Jurkovich take a side! This is great for us fans. Too many former pros that straddle the fence and pros/cons on both sides...All of us can do that and predictable and a waste of time! Thanks MERRIL and JURKO!!

[@jpadarath27]

Penix Jr. is the real deal...

[@jeffjohnson6709]

Jesus, we'll see how tall Williams is on Thursday. If he's 6 foot or under take a hard pass.

[@jpd3484]

My QB cant paint his nails. Or cry on mommys lap

[@johnnychimpo7539]

Good thing you are just a fan

[@blackbeardgoatjr2434]

I labeled him a bust when I saw him jump in to his momma's arms and started crying

[@df2324]

He had a horrible offensive line and still had 41 td and 5 int. They said it was a down year for Caleb

[@michaelmills7543]

Caleb had 30td 5 int and Jaden had better td to int and higher competition percentage and higher QBR

[@df2324]

⁠@@michaelmills7543check the facts sir he had 41 td with 5 int. 11 rushing or does he not get credit for the other rushing TD because that might make him look good. 41TD in a down year. Check your stats.

[@barbaracaroll]

Lots of people know that Williams is nobody special

[@everettcarson1473]

Eli had no help in college,and he did really good coming to the NFL

[@ShadEatz]

The bears will ruin Caleb, just like they’ve ruined Fields and just like they’ve ruined every other QB they have ever drafted damn near! 💯

[@PompousPilot441]

Can’t really argue with that. That’s been the track record

[@dartvade1955]

Well we know Fileds isn’t elite for sure, so we have that

[@wwills1572]

Steve young, his legs were the difference many times 😅

[@Dpanorealtygroup]

My only disagree is that he said “no one is running their way into a championship.” The Chiefs won because Mahomes ran the ball in the superbowl.

[@proudsellout484]

Not true. Mahomes is more of an Aaron Rodgers types of runner.

[@lordvader_lllgaming6273]

This guys doesn’t Nobody’s talking about the Bears were one game out from being in the playoffs lol And there was like five games that we blew like eight 1420 point lead to lose if we just clean that up we would’ve been the playoffs. Also, our defense was the number one defense in the league by the end of the year. I think this guy is just talking out of his asshole and not actually looking at the facts. We’re definitely gonna be in the playoffs this year who showed major improvements and we have a bunch of pics and a bunch of space to make ourselves even better.

[@dutchheadlife3325]

I haven't seen a special QB since Pat Mahomes. WVU fan so watched him play a lot at Texas Tech. Knew he would special

[@ljink48]

This interview was annoying. You just let him ramble on and on. Point is, he said CW isn't special. But he has "unique talents"

[@johnnychimpo7539]

Yes it seems like he’s saying he has all the abilities that he will ever need but he needs to make the right decisions? Okay we will take that chance, that’s fine

[@skeletor9121]

He’s just covering his ass if the bears do in fact pick CW. Then he can say he never dissed the guy.

[@MrBob2k99]

Hoge rambled for 18 minutes talking about Caleb's elusiveness? Host should have stepped in to stop the rambling

[@texaslegend5076]

CJ Stroud gotta do it for more than 1 year.

[@HockeyDudeJames2]

Williams has to do it for one.

[@codyddd3634]

saying calebs pocket presence isnt special is an absolutely insane take. its probably his best trate

[@73ajd1]

You know what is special? JF QB stats. Especially bad. Lower ratings than the O line, lower than the receivers. Time for upgrades across the offensive side. 2 new WRs, tackle, TE, and QB in draft. New guard and center in free agency. Add another D end free agent and resign JJ, and lets see what that looks like with an upgraded coaching staff. *And just for fun, Derrick Henry in a blue jersey dragging the NFC North down the field.

[@deadmezero8742]

What i got from this is take caleb

[@ldriver-pe7iw]

Being exciting is bot a skill set 😮Caleb fans are but hurt someone called out his flaws Jayed Daniels Bear down

[@tanmayamin6515]

Justin fields is pretty accurate and no coach has said that he doesn't process information quickly? Where is this guys getting this from? Also, how can all these guys say with this much confidence that Caleb has a higher ceiling than Justin?

[@mkingadiffernce]

Right

[@1x1vv]

have you ever watched him play? as well as every scout said it coming out of college it is his main weakness

[@tanmayamin6515]

@@1x1vv yeah, they said the same thing about CJ and look how well he played. And Scouts are never wrong about QBs right?

[@Swayzee33]

Manziel 2.0

[@skeletor9121]

Or JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf and others

[@Swayzee33]

@@skeletor9121 Agreed

[@corbenbellamy]

Caleb will save the bears. I find Hoge to be a moron just because Caleb has unique escapability he thinks he "cant play from the pocket" the dude had one of the worst offensive lines in college football of course he had to run around and make super hero plays. The kid is generational and people will see that soon enough. I mean after all a heck of a lot of Patrick Mahomes plays are off schedule hero plays, Caleb can do that but better. Just my 2 cents. Caleb is a star. Another thing, Jaden Daniels played in games where he'd be up by 20 points in 4th quarter and they wouldnt pull him, they padded his stats like crazy this year. He also had TWO first round pick wide receivers in Nabers and Thomas, all while sitting comfortable behind one of the biggest offensive lines in college football. Jaden Daniels is my bust of this draft. I think he is Justin Fields 2.0. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye will take over out of this draft class.

[@eddiejames9827]

Justin had professional receivers in college? Dumbest comment in the interview.

[@user-yy7oi3eh8c]

Top G 🪖

[@errormac9]

So according to merril, if caleb was going to the eagles or chiefs, he's special. But since he's probably going to the bears or commanders, he's not special? This coming from a guy that only analyzed 3 of Caleb's games? This Dude is a wacko.

[@theoracle3772]

You weren’t listening. What he said was Mahomes going to a good team with excellent coaching was an advantage Williams won’t have. It had nothing to do with opinion of Williams as a player.

[@stevethomas5467]

Caleb DIVA Williams is only barely 6'0

[@ldriver-pe7iw]

Poles will go with the Sergeon not the Artist magician

[@ldriver-pe7iw]

This expectation that he can be patrick mahomes is donking 😂agreed

[@ialsolikethecfl7151]

FINALLY someone other than Swifty breaking it down. HIs strength in mobility is his weakness. If we draft him, I will cheer him on and I wish him well regardless. But man trade down, keep JF1, build the team and maybe even draft a late 1st or early 2nd round qb.

[@jcrit743]

The things he talked about as weaknesses "JF1" does, but because Caleb does them, they're only his weaknesses?

[@jeffreystebel]

100

[@1848revolt]

The only smart thing to do.

[@KarinaMartin-gj8yd]

If u watch Caleb he's always running backwards and hoisting the ball like a hail marry

[@manuelgarza1268]

Why the hell would Ryan draft a QB with the same deficiencies, and is shorter with a smaller frame!?🤔 Anyone who thinks any rookie in this class will be able to escape sacks for positive plays like JF#1 has gotta stop drinking the MaHomie Kool aid. I asked this question earlier: "If Poles drafts Caleb are us Bears fanatics ready for a possibility of having a 7-10 or 6-11 record next season? The rookie years Burrow, and Stroud experienced are a rare occurrence that doesn't just happen every 365 or 366 in leapyear.

[@jasoncherpak9680]

Totally concussed. Seriously makes no sense.

[@Awoodward7899]

After 40 yrs of being Bears fan, personally I'll be done with Bears til after the next chapter, if we move on from Fields. I live hour between indy and cincy...so have always had options but ill go with bengals for next few years and ive never been that kind of sports fan

[@chitownfeets5899]

Man I hope Poles did his homework, because idiots like this and on radio really don’t do their homework. You can’t know what a QB will do in the NFL until he is in the NFL. I can’t wait till this is all over. I’ve stopped listening to Bears talk when it comes on the radio.

[@akimduchard6670]

And u do

[@johnnychimpo7539]

@@akimduchard6670how dumb are you? He just said you can’t know until they are there

[@calabis]

Yet some bum on the couch, who posts on you tube, knows. Someone call 670 score and get this QB Guru on the radio.

[@wtchoclatethunder4974]

You can tell he has not watched film

[@Nicklin30112]

Lmfao. Watch the Caleb Williams Film He misses so many open targets. Hes going to be a bust

[@youngogjay7802]

@@Nicklin30112 what film was you watching?

[@swat686]

⁠@@Nicklin30112it’s krazy how he over looks underneath open receivers. Just to bomb and go for the big plays. What’s funny is when you watch his tape. The WR is open and Williams would run side to side for some seconds. Then throw the ball to the receiver who’s been open the whole time

[@JMontyism]

This was painful listening

[@AndyTN64]

Merrill heaven been wrong qb evaluation.

[@kipwhitler6804]

Even IF i bought his thrown-together walk back on what he "defines as special" (and 💯 DO NOT buy it), he still made his statement after openly admitting to only watching 6 games out of Caleb's 37 college games. Do better, Merril.

[@gm_collectibles1]

Guy is a stunod

[@Fishandspaghettishow]

He sounds like a hater 😂😂

[@1848revolt]

Who wouldn't hate Caleb. He is a circus.

[@swat686]

How’s he’s a hater? because he is telling us what he sees wrong with Williams at the same time telling us what he also likes about his game. So, if you don’t mind answering this question. where’s the hate?

[@Fishandspaghettishow]

First of all we never seen QB play like this ever and Mr hodge can’t tell you what type of heart this kid has Merrill never played with such talent this ain’t kordell Stewart 🤣🤣🤣 ,I remember when he would’ve been deem “not smart enough “ now it’s he too much of a athlete 🫡