Tag: Pivot Podcast

The Chicago Bears are checking all the boxes for QB Caleb Williams

It sounds like the Bears have impressed Caleb Williams with how the team has been constructed.

Just a few short months ago, rumors were spreading that presumptive first-overall pick Caleb Williams wouldn’t want to play for the Chicago Bears due to their track record at the quarterback position. At that point, the Bears had recently locked up the top pick by way of the Carolina Panthers and had Williams in their sights while coming off a 7-10 season that saw multiple coaching changes on the offensive side of the ball.

Since then, the Bears have made key moves to bolster their offense, whether it’s bringing in new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, signing running back D’Andre Swift, or trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. With those additions, joining wide receiver DJ Moore, tight end Cole Kmet, and an above-average offensive line, it’s all setting up for an ideal situation for Williams, who is set to become the Bears’ next quarterback in less than a week when the NFL Draft gets underway. Based on reports and recent comments, he’s pretty happy with what the Bears and the city of Chicago have to offer.

On Friday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared a breakdown of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft with insight from executives and scouts. Not surprisingly, Williams was at the top, but Pelissero revealed information on how the quarterback viewed the Bears’ situation following his top 30 visit.

Team officials have stayed in touch with Williams since via video chat sessions, just talking football. There still is a matter of agreeing to a contract, which could be more complicated than a normal slotted deal, given the uniqueness of Caleb’s draft process thus far. But sources say the quarterback’s conversations with the Bears have been very frank and positive. The Williams camp sent the message early about what it wanted — investment and infrastructure to help Caleb reach his next goal of chasing Tom Brady and winning Super Bowls — and the Bears so far have delivered. 

The smoke that surrounded Williams’ alleged disinterest in Chicago has fully cleared, and it sounds like he’s bought into what the Bears have to offer. Having a strong infrastructure is important for the 22-year-old quarterback, who has made it known he wants to win and become a legend in the game.

That was evident during a recent interview on the Pivot Podcast. During the interview, Williams is asked how he will help Chicago win a championship. “Now that I want to play at one place for 20 years and chase one guy, No. 12 (Tom Brady),” Williams said. “I want a place that loves ball. That’s all I’ve heard about Chicago so far.”

The Bears have the pieces in place for Williams to succeed out of the gate, and Chicago has the passion behind their football team that he desires. It sounds like the Bears have checked all of the boxes for Williams, and he’s fired up to become the team’s next quarterback, who will hopefully give them a true franchise quarterback for the first time in half a century.

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Chris Paul recounts time with the Thunder, details being traded there

“OKC was unbelievable. I might not still be playing if not for that year I had there because I found that joy back.”

In an appearance on the “Pivot Podcast,” Chris Paul detailed his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder and how his trade there went down.

Paul enjoyed a career resurgence with the Thunder in his sole season there (2019-20). He led them to a playoff appearance and was named an All-NBA member.

The veteran point guard was dealt to the Phoenix Suns the following offseason, which is where he has spent the last three seasons.

While he looks back at his time in OKC fondly, Paul initially didn’t want to be traded from the Houston Rockets. He told general manager Daryl Morey he didn’t want to go to OKC before being traded.

“(Morey) was like, ‘Cool, I won’t do that since you chose to come to us,” Paul said. “Fast forward a week later, I was on the phone with my wife, and it said Daryl was calling and then it popped up (I’ve been traded to OKC) and talked to Daryl for literally two seconds and hung up.”

Paul also later revealed the Thunder rejuvenated him and credits them for extending his career.

“OKC was unbelievable,” Paul said. “I might not still be playing if not for that year I had there because I found that joy back.”

Paul also revealed that after he was traded to the Thunder, nobody from the Thunder reached out to welcome him, likely because they were actively trying to trade him. He reached out to Thunder general manager Sam Presti and asked for the contact information of his new teammates and reached out to them.

“Our very first team meeting. … I stood up in front of my whole team and said, ‘If you all want to know something about me, ask me,” Paul said. “I’m not asking to be traded (from OKC). I’m here.”

The full podcast interview can be watched here.

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Florida reaching out more to Gator greats, Emmitt Smith opens up

He’s been invited back on campus many times, but legendary UF alum Emmitt Smith told the Pivot Podcast that this time, he was invited back in a unique way.

When having a conversation about the greatest players in Florida Gators’ football history, you won’t get too far before you mention Pro Football Hall of Fame running back [autotag]Emmitt Smith[/autotag]. Before he won the Offensive Player of the Year award, NFL MVP, three Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP, and was named a four-time first-team All-Pro player, the Pensacola native was tearing it up for the Orange and Blue.

In a recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast, Smith joined ESPN’s Ryan Clark and his co-hosts, former Florida Gators Channing Crowder and [autotag]Fred Taylor[/autotag], in a wide-ranging conversation. Notably, the first two minutes or so are dominated by Smith talking about how the University of Florida recently sent him a gift package that included four tickets to any home sporting event of his choice, among other things.

Once you get past the realization that three of the four members of the show are Gators, and two of the greatest running backs in Florida football history are sitting next to each other, the weight of the conversation starts to kick in. While Smith notes that it’s not the first time he’s been invited back to Gainesville, he did reveal that it is the first time they have made such an effort with the gift package. Crowder, Taylor, and Smith proceed to discuss how much effort the current regime is putting into the Gators’ storied history. Taylor even went so far as to say Smith deserves a statue outside The Swamp.

The more often a public discourse about the Gators occurs, the better. It’s even more powerful when three former Gator Greats are the ones holding up their alma mater, something head coach Billy Napier seems sware of if he’s making such an effort to bring the legends of Florida football’s past into the fold.

In his time playing for the Florida Gators, Smith broke 58 school records, scored 38 touchdowns, was named the 1989 SEC Player of the Year, finished top ten in the Heisman Trophy race, and was a three-time All-SEC pick. He was drafted in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent 13 of his 15 NFL seasons. He received his degree in Health and Human Performance in 1996 and is a member of the Gator Football Ring of Honor.

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