Caleb Williams Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) warms up during the fourth quarter against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
NFLRadioBy Sam Neumann on

Merril Hoge’s opinions on football tend to generate discussion, but they don’t always connect universally. Not much of a home run hitter, the former NFL RB and ESPN analyst would be lucky to be hitting over the Mendoza Line.

Following his departure from ESPN, Hoge secured a new position as the head coach of a football team that relies on crowdsourced playcalling. And the last we heard from Hoge, previously known for accusing concussion researchers of unethical behavior, he was currently involved in a lawsuit related to Roundup.

But now, he’s been making the rounds on Radio Row for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas and delivering harsh criticism of an NFL Draft prospect in Caleb Williams. And Hoge admitted to only watching a small sample of Williams’ play.

“The one thing that is clear: he is not special,” Hoge said in that interview with NBC Sports Chicago. “He is not something unique like a Patrick Mahomes. And I hope the Bears don’t think,’ ‘Let’s try to make up for our mistake when we passed up Patrick Mahomes and go get the [next] Patrick Mahomes. This kid is not Patrick Mahomes. He ain’t even remotely close to that.”

Hoge says he’s only watched six games of Williams, so how can he declare that he isn’t special? The likely No. 1 overall pick who is a year removed from winning the Heisman Trophy isn’t special? Sure, Merrill.

And Williams is keeping receipts.

While Patrick Mahomes’ rise to superstardom is undeniable, comparing the polished quarterback leading the Chiefs to the Super Bowl to his pre-draft self wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Hindsight reveals Mitchell Trubisky wasn’t the ideal choice, but at the time, Deshaun Watson was generally viewed as the strongest quarterback prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft.

While Mahomes benefited from a year of development on a contending team with a renowned coach, Trubiksy faced the pressure of starting early for a struggling franchise under an entirely different coaching philosophy. Having Andy Reid and Alex Smith is slightly different from Mike Glennon and John Fox.

“I think it’s unfair to Justin Fields,” Hoge said. “He’s had a new coordinator, new coordinator, new coordinator. There’s no possible way you could know about your guy when you do that. It’s the worst thing that can happen to any player, especially a quarterback.

Sure, Fields has faced consistent turnover at the offensive coordinator position, potentially hindering his development. He started with Bill Lazor in 2021, then transitioned to Luke Getsy in 2022 and 2023. But this lack of continuity isn’t unique in the NFL, where only six offensive coordinators have remained with their teams for the past two seasons. Such instability often impacts young quarterbacks, making learning and adapting to different offensive schemes and philosophies difficult.

At the same time,  a wave of change has swept through NFL offensive coordinator positions, with 26 teams making hires in the past two seasons. Only six coordinators have enjoyed stability, remaining with their current teams since 2022: Frank Smith (Miami Dolphins), Press Taylor (Jacksonville Jaguars), Wes Phillips (Minnesota Vikings), Adam Stenavich (Green Bay Packers), Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions) and Mike Kafka (New York Giants).

“Now, when Justin came out, the one thing I had thought he had was he just had inexperience; He just ended more experience; he lacked that,” added Hoge. “But what I have seen in Justin Fields — from my evaluation — there is enough growth and tape there that I would not let him go because I see enough there.”

Hoge’s track record doesn’t inspire much confidence (if any), so the Bears may be better suited to flipping a coin instead of mindlessly following his counsel. Only time will tell if the Bears make the right choice, but there are various perspectives on their path. And perhaps some are better than those who have only watched six games of Caleb Williams’ tape.

[NBC Sports Bears on Twitter/X]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann