Caleb Williams pushed by dream of becoming NFL's greatest QB (FULL INTERVIEW) | FNIA | NFL on NBC

I bet it never gets old but when you hear with the first pick of the 2024 draft the Chicago Bear select Caleb Williams what comes to mind like what are the feelings and emotions that you remember when I when I got the call um at first it was kind of funny and then when I hung up um I think I just had like a flashback of all the hard work all the you know times that we won we lost um all the early mornings late nights of of working out and things like like that working hard so a few tears dropped and then right after that wiped those away put the game face on to walk on stage and it was H it was an unbelievable feeling to have all my family and and everybody there and then uh to have that moment for myself it's almost like you make it look easy so some people may think that it's come easy but you mentioned some of that hard work and I almost want to take you back some so people understand the story and I feel like we have to go back to the name Harrison Bailey to truly understand it so what does that name mean to you explain how that was a little bit of a turning point for you yeah so uh Harrison he he whooped my he whooped my tail tail he whooped my tail in a game um U we were I think it was a it was a semi-final game and he uh he beat up on us Georgia um obviously coming from Georgia um verse uh Team Maryland and uh yeah he beat us and and it was it was a tough loss I took that that loss a little bit more tough than most times didn't enjoy the situ situation I was in I was actually playing I wasn't playing quarterback then I was playing running back and linebacker and safety and things like that and uh didn't get to play on offense you know the the coach that game um uh coaches pin daddy ball on my team and uh you know I took it to heart I wanted to switch to quarterback I wanted to be able to spread the ball around I wanted to be a reason why we um would win games and and uh wanted to go out there and have fun doing it and so I switch positions um after after he beat us um and and my dad basically uh you know after I was done crying um after that loss when I was when I was younger um my dad put together a plan and it was eating habits it was working out it was you know sleep and all these other things vitamins and um that was around 10 years old and then uh from there it's just been kind of engraved in me um hard work or discipline or you know whatever you want to call it um it's it's been engraved in me so it's uh you know that that loss you know meant a lot to me mhm what's the wild is and your dad has said this you didn't say I want to be a great quarterback you said I want to be the greatest quarterback to have ever played the game at 9 10 however old you were yeah like where does that come from I think I think the moment I was a bit I was a bit emotional MH because of the loss and then um the other part cuz at that time I wasn't putting in the hard work I was just football was fun for me it was it what I loved to do it's what I enjoyed to do but I didn't necessarily know what what came with it and and how much work I had to put in um at that time and then when we started working out and things like that um you know and those that that that hard work um it always pays off um as everybody always says but when it started paying off on the football field and starting to gain more confidence and in myself and the work that I was doing you know those those dreams and aspirations that I set for myself because I always set really high aspirations and that's that's another you know another another dream of mine is is to become the greatest you know I I I it it allows me to keep going allows me to reach those things because I know that I can't reach certain things like that in one year um two years or anything like that so um it it it gives me a sense of it gives me a push it gives me a sense of uh you know I'm I'm not good enough it gives me a sense of I'm not there and so uh you know those are those are the things and you know at the time when I said that I was probably a little bit emotional but you know now growing up it's it's more of a a dream um that that that pushes me mhm I feel like um you're also someone who you remind me of when Kobe talks you know what I mean the mamb mentality but you also post him a lot so I wonder how much you kind of go back to the way that he lived he practiced and the way that he worked and mold that into how you do the same thing I watch the Kobe Mama documentary uh once every year really yeah did you watch it did you already watch it I've already watched it okay um uh but I watch it once every year I started at in college um uh my um my freshman year um I was laying laying in my bed and the first time watched it and I loved it so much that I have in my notes uh the the Kobe documentary and then I have like time stamps and then then next to it I have um I have like a time stamp of this and that and then the timestamp says you know his mentality another time stamp says uh when he went through you know adversity and hardship and how he dealt with it and things like that so I watching him watching how he played um you know how Fierce he was how much much he wanted to win and love to win I feel as if I connect with those things um the most from him so um that's a person that I you know admire and and and look to um for you know um some of the like I said mentality some of the the grip the adversity how dealt with it um and even you know when I got H my championship game in in college I used I used what he said um is that the the game is bigger than anything that I'm feeling um and so uh yeah I I I would say that you know watch a lot of so any other quotes that we have ingrained from um some of them I cannot say because of the words that he uses that's fair yes that's fair but you have a memorized I have a memorized uhhuh yes okay I'm not going to call it scripture but it's sounding like the book of Kobe you've got that one down describe the I guess things that you would consider adversity give me some more examples of that you mentioned the injury but what are some of the other things that have turned you into the man the quarterback that we're going to see moving forward yeah I would say when I didn't start obviously I know I was a freshman and and um and things like that but I felt as if I put in you know all the work to to be able to start that that freshman year for myself and uh it didn't happen so it was a adverse moment for me because I've never been in a position where I was the you know the backup for six seven games and then you know um you know I would go up to coach I'd ask him I wouldn't ask him to give me play time I would ask him how do I put myself in a position to get in a position that I want to be in which is playing on the field and so uh you know he didn't give me anything and I use this information now what he gave me then was uh keep going um and so I use that for myself now I use it I use it when I'm working out I use it um I use it and you know tough times of you know or or or when I'm you know mentally um not as strong um I tell myself to keep going so uh yeah that's another adverse moment um obviously the moment at 10 years old I count that adversity um CU it I would say changed uh mindset and and and dreams and aspirations for myself I'll say those are the the key ones um losing my first ever Championship uh my freshman year of high school um it was to St John's um we got we got smoked pretty bad um it was the first time you know when you when you grow up and you play football you normally grow up with the same group over and over and over and over um in high school obviously you're only there for four years and so the seniors you know when they lost um you know there was their last game and they got to walk out of that that Stadium it was pretty tough for me so um I um I uh I took that one I took that one to heart I'm realizing you know what you know what it is in high school college and then obviously here in the pros you know whole team can change after year so that brings up the question do you remember the losses or the wins more you were you always remember the losses a little bit more than the wins um obviously you remember you know the big plays and the wins you remember the you know obviously the the win of the the big game um but you remember all the small things all the you know the things you could have done better um all the things you could have done better as a team all the things that happened throughout the game and the losses and things like that okay I'm going to have Bears fans close their ears but I know that growing up someone that who you watch I was an Aaron Rogers fan right not the Packers I wasn't technically the Packers because when he left I became a a nobody fan until I got drafted by the Bears okay so what is it about Aaron Rogers yeah he's special um if you go watch his film if you go watch him in person um which I haven't had um the chance to do yet um you know but when you you know when you when you watch him and and and and see what he does he plays a game you know above the shoulders plays a game with his mind um and he's he's special he knows everything defensive wise he's seeing everything and then obviously when things don't go his way when things you know play breaks down I mean he goes and makes um I mean makes insane plays um and so just being able to be a complete QB um is is what everybody dreams and inspires to be and um that's something that I'm you know working my my heartest to be um is is be fully complete or to the most complete that I can be um and and in playing this game uh from above the above the shoulders and then you know when the play breaks down it's it's time to go make magic you've I mean drawn comparisons to the magic of Patrick mAh L of there that think you if you're watching film of others is there some that you feel as though you do resemble in style of play um I think over the years I watched a bunch of different QBs um and then I would try throughout the years I would try and go you know in trainings and things like that whether it was a play fake whether it was a a certain throw whether it was a you know a Aaron Rogers put his body in a weird a weird throwing position and still completed the the pass and things like that I would try those things so I think there's a a collective of people that you know depending on the play depending on the pass and things like that that I can resemble um I think the two guys that I've watched the most is is Aaron um and and and Matthew um over the over the time and over the years cuz you know those two guys can you know put the ball and place the ball anywhere they want um at any time and so you know watching those two guys um being able to rip the ball obviously Aon being a little bit more U mobile and athletic um I would say the Matthew um you know those two guys have played at a high level for the longest time so I would say those two and then been able to move around um and and and and um get out of stuff um I think in the recent years I would say uh Pat and his elusiveness and in the pocket and things like that so um I think those those three that strikes me a little bit that you see like Aaron Rogers like he's contorted in a weird way and you'll you'll try you'll practice that practice it yeah that some people will see that on Sunday and be like wow he just pulled that out of his back pocket but you've might have worked on that yeah and that's a part of being prepared for everything yeah that's a whether it's mental or or physical um putting putting yourself in that position is is is key I think for being prepared for when it happens it just happens and um that's something I try and try and do um as often as I can okay we've given credit to Dad Carl we got to give some credit to Momom listen what she BR the table special yeah yeah no Mom is she's uh she's wonderful she's uh she she um and everybody probably already knows but she's the one that kind of got me into the nails thing growing up um she uh she was always caring she was always um taking care of everybody she owned a daycare so she treated everybody um and everybody else's child like they were her own um and I think that that's that's gone a long way for me you know so when I'm on a football team and things like that that um or or or when I have friends and and things like that that I truly care for I take care of them um you know I ask them questions about their family I ask some questions about you know themselves uh we go out to dinner we go out mini golf we go out all these other things and we hang out uh we build you know true bonds and relationships that um just grow over time um and I think a lot of that comes from her okay you brought the nail thing I just have pictures this is our last thing we're going to run through you tell me what our style was here yeah so I I do you remember the game This was um I've had so many dag on you just tell me what yeah go ahead yes this is a biohazard biohazard um sometimes I was just going kind of random cuz it look kind of cool biohazard um American flag uh flames and then uh I put this one was on purpose okay uh I put the um like if you're throwing darts or if you're Target yeah Target um but it was more of like um I put the cross in the middle too for for that so it was more it more of on my index finger cuz that's you know when you throw it's the finger that's the last finger to touch the ball um and so that was a that was more detail that was more of a yeah this is U mental health awareness um and breast cancer awareness 988 um and then breast cancer awareness on my pinky yeah and I don't remember what I had on my thumb but yeah the 988 mhm so we already know I didn't do this one yet but it is it is uh yeah this this will probably be on there at some point Bear Down you we have you week two so we really that's the one that we want to know but if you don't already know what's in your mind what you're going to do that's all right yeah so this was just a a matte black thing and then I just threw a bunch of you know bunch of this I normally don't do stickers but these are all stickers MH um smiley face flame white heart and uh and I and because and a part of it too I do love the fact that you talk about mental awareness or mental health awareness and also just anti-bullying and that's a part of the cause with the nail too and I don't know that everyone understands that yeah it it's a part of the cause um cuz obviously people try and say things about it um and you know say things about me because of it um and so it is a a a mesh something that meshes well uh with the Outreach that I'm trying to reach um and and Outreach that I'm trying to you know get out to to other people um about mental health and bullying um and and uh let them know that I'm a I'm I'm one with them um I'm I'm I'm here um you can connect with me um um because of the you know things that are said about me and US football players to be honest um um over time well thank you for your time no thank you yeah was great y'all got a great one hi I'm Mike too and thanks for watching make sure to hit subscribe for the latest news and highlights from NBC Sports