Our thoughts on Caleb Williams gracing the cover of Madden 27
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Why is Caleb Williams significant for the Madden 27 cover?
Oh, that takes me back. The kids don't know. The kids don't know about the Madden commercials. They don't even understand really the curse. I mean, they kind of do. They don't know. They don't know. Caleb Williams, the first bear to be on the cover for Madden. Pretty incredible stuff. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. And we did just talk about Roman Dunzay. Well, he was on the receiving end when Caleb Williams recreated that jump man throw, the fourth and eight. And that's what ended up gracing the cover of Madden. This is a special occasion.
What does the Madden cover mean for Caleb Williams' career?
Now, Brian Urlacher was on an alternative cover, so he technically didn't count. It is Caleb Williams gracing it. And for a Chicago Bear, that's just another side of how things are on the up and up.
I love the fact that Caleb Williams has bought into this Iceman persona. I mean, it wasn't that long ago we were watching videos of Saquon Barkley on wires trying to jump backwards to recreate the moment so he could be on the cover. And now you see what they did with the jump pass to try to recreate that so it could be one of the covers. I feel like this is the next step of Caleb Williams' superstar as opposed to just Caleb Williams' quarterback, a guy who hasn't even thrown for 4,000 yards in a season.
I got an honest question to which I do not know the answer. Give it to me. Because I'm not the biggest gamer in the world. I've never done the whole Madden thing. We get it. You're old. I don't think it's that. Again, I played outside. I played sports. I played wiffle ball. I took walks. I did better things with my time. But my question is, in all honesty, is it a bigger deal or as big of a deal to be on the cover of Madden as it was to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated when the three of us were growing up? Serious question.
I mean, not now because the media is so fragmented. We all knew Sports Illustrated because that was one of our only options. We all knew the Wheaties box because that was one of our only places to see it. We all knew Madden because you had to physically buy the copy of the video game. It's still an honor, but I think it's a little bit different because those moments ruled the sports culture like we waited. I mean, I remember waiting to see if the Cosby show was going to have a new theme song that year. Obviously, I didn't know about Bill, but you know what I'm saying? It was a different time where you knew exactly. I remember Sports Illustrated covers very vividly. I saved all the bulls once. I did not think I was going to be moving here.
I think this is as big as the Sports Illustrated cover. Let me tell you why. Because not everybody reads Sports Illustrated. Not everybody plays the game. But you are aware if you live in a city in which, or even if you're just a casual sports fan, or if you're just a kid growing up, the same way you look at a Sports Illustrated, that's the way kids, everybody, you don't have to play Madden to know who's on the cover of Madden. You know what I'm saying?
Of course.
So I think that's a good apples to apples comparison because of what you said, Layla, about the media being fragmented now. Oh, yeah. Think about the SI swimsuit issue. It still happens, but I don't think I know about it. Not nearly as big of a deal as it once was. So with the Madden thing, everybody knows because not only do the kids know, but their parents who buy the game for them know. And then if you live in the city where it happens, you obviously know.
Yeah. Well, and then Adam Studzinski, who's also... You're a millennial. You're in the demo. He reports that Erlacher was on NFL 2K3. Yes, thank you. I was trying to remember off the top of my head. And then Roberto Garza was on the international cover, which was really cool. Nice job! He was on the Spanish version. Yeah, that's funny, because you would... He's so kind now. When we had him on, I just wanted to talk to him all day.
I was so jelly. I wasn't here that day for you guys. But that does... That is interesting because, yeah, I thought when I first heard yesterday, again, not being a gamer, it's a little bit of a blind spot.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why is Caleb Williams significant for the Madden 27 cover?
0:00–0:35
2
What does the Madden cover mean for Caleb Williams' career?
0:35–4:58
3
How does the Madden cover compare to the Sports Illustrated cover?
4:58–5:13
4
What are the reactions to Caleb Williams' performance expectations?
5:13–7:27
5
How does Caleb Williams' coaching impact his development?
7:27–11:13
6
What are the challenges Caleb Williams faces as a young quarterback?
11:13–12:47
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from Rahimi & Grote Show
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