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Merril Hoge spent eight years in the NFL, one of which was with the Chicago Bears.
Hoge was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, from 1987 until 1993, before landing in the Windy City for a lone season in 1994. He retired after the 1994 season and has been working as an analyst post-retirement.
While speaking to NBC Sports ahead of Super Bowl 58, Hoge has some critical comments about quarterback prospect Caleb Williams, who many insiders believe the Bears will draft with the No. 1 pick.
“The one thing that is clear, he is not special,” Hoge said about Williams. “He is not something unique like a Patrick Mahomes. And I hope the Bears don’t think: ‘Well, let’s try to make up for our mistake when we passed up Patrick Mahomes and go get the Patrick Mahomes.’ The kid is not Patrick Mahomes. Ain’t even remotely close to that.”
Not to be outdone, Williams responded by ‘liking’ the post featuring Hoge’s comments on X (formerly Twitter).
Caleb Williams Is Known for Keeping Receipts on Social Media
The former USC quarterback has been pegged as a generational talent by some evaluators. Most have high praise for Williams, but few have criticized the young QB the way Hoge did.
Criticism is something that seems to fuel Williams, as his ‘like’ tab is peppered with posts courtesy of those who doubt his abilities. This also isn’t the first time he has liked a post suggesting the Bears shouldn’t draft him.
That kind of competitive fire is a good trait for a QB to have.
Williams’ like tab isn’t solely for keeping receipts, though. It also includes numerous posts celebrating the achievements of others, including several posts congratulating Bears legend Devin Hester after it was announced Hester will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Merril Hoge Has Been Correct About These Things Before
Hoge prefaced his comments by saying he was only halfway through watching Williams’ film, but he got specific about his concerns regarding the former USC signal-caller.
“The thing that’s disturbing me right now is his inability to be consistent on the move as a thrower. And he’s willing to do that a lot more than he has to. You don’t have that choice in our league,” Hoge added, via NBC Sports. “I don’t see anything magical with his arm. There’s not enough there at this point for me to be like we’re getting rid of Justin Fields and bring this guy in, who’s never played in the National Football League and has to overcome all of those hurdles just to give us a chance to win.”
Hoge also said he.has seen enough growth from QB Justin Fields to keep him as a starter.
“It’s unfair to Justin Fields. He has had new coordinator, new coordinator, new coordinator. There is no possible way you can know about your guy when you do that. It’s the worst thing that can happen to any player, especially a quarterback,” Hoge said, adding: “What I have seen, from my evaluation, there’s enough growth and hope there. I would not let him go.”
Hoge is known for his keen and observational draft takes. He was one of few who called former first-round quarterback Johnny Manziel a bust, a prediction that was mocked at the time but wound up coming to fruition after Manziel lasted just two seasons in the NFL.
Hoge also predicted Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud would be a superior player to Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young when Young went No. 1 overall last year. Stroud just won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, while Young struggled.
This isn’t to say Hoge is going to be correct in his assessment — he could certainly be wrong. But his comments are worth listening to and considering heading into the upcoming draft.
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