Bill Belichick’s criticism of Caleb Williams goes viral

Nov 10, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media before an NFL International Series practice at the Deutcher Fussball-Bund facility. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears fans are feeling optimistic after the way Caleb Williams played during the preseason, but Bill Belichick does not seem to be buying the hype just yet.

Belichick has joined “Inside the NFL” as an analyst for the 2024 season. When the topic of Williams came up during Thursday night’s episode, Belichick was quick to make it clear that he did not find the No. 1 overall pick’s preseason performance to be all that impressive.

Belichick mentioned how quarterbacks almost never go against the opposing team’s best defensive players in preseason games. Host Ryan Clark then asked if that means we should not read into Williams being “so accurate” during those games. Belichick said he felt Williams “wasn’t accurate” since the quarterback completed 10-of-20 passes.

“Whoever they played against in preseason, it wasn’t the best players on the other team. They weren’t that good. There was a couple highlight plays. They weren’t that good,” Belichick said.

Bill Belichick wasn’t impressed by Caleb Williams through his two preseason games with the Chicago Bears.

“Well, he wasn’t accurate, he was 10-for-20,” Belichick said. “There were a couple of highlight plays, but they weren’t that good.”

(🎥: @insidetheNFL) pic.twitter.com/3sKMBjrKn3

— Kinnu Singh (@ByKinnuSingh) September 5, 2024

Though he was smirking when he made the comments, Belichick has said in the past that he does not think you can put that much stock into what happens in the preseason. He believes it is easier to evaluate players during practice than it is when they are playing against second- and third-string opponents.

Belichick is also notoriously critical of young quarterbacks, which we saw with his assessment of Drake Maye during the draft. Heck, Belichick even ripped Tom Brady apart during meetings throughout the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s entire tenure in New England.

Tough coaches like Belichick always want to see players prove it, which is one of the reasons the 72-year-old is expected to be so entertaining in his plethora of media roles.