Prime Video NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit could have chosen a better metaphor when describing Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during Thursday Night Football.
The Bears led the New England Patriots 3-0 and were on the verge of scoring a touchdown late in the first quarter when Herbstreit and play-by-play partner Al Michaels began breaking down Williams’ development in his third NFL season. In that discussion, Herbstreit compared the Chicago quarterback to a wild horse that needed to be broken.
“Let’s be honest here. When he first got here, Caleb Williams was like a bucking bronco,” said Herbstreit. “He needed to be trained and needed to be taught how to play within structure. The one thing about Caleb Williams: dynamic playmaker in college and in his first year here, but he was a little reckless. He didn’t make the easy play. Now, in his second year with Ben Johnson, he’s much more refined in how he plays the position.”
“Caleb Williams was like a bucking bronco, he needed to be trained and needed to be taught how to play with instruction.” – Kirk Herbstreit https://t.co/V9Twafl4tp
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 23, 2026
“There were so many ways to say that Caleb Williams has matured as a QB, and he picked the most cringeworthy way possible,” said Jemele Hill, succinctly summing up why that metaphor didn’t land.
Suffice it to say, you’re in perilous territory when you’re a White broadcaster comparing a Black athlete to an animal, regardless of any intention. And plenty of people in the sports media world picked up on that while watching the Prime Video broadcast.
The way certain media members talk about Black athletes is insane dawg.
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) October 23, 2026
Did not like this
— Northwest Cee (@CeeHawk) October 23, 2026
This is disgustingly next-level coding.
— O.J. Spivey (@OJPhilly) October 23, 2026
It doesn’t help that this isn’t the first time Herbstreit has said something eye-raising about Williams. In 2024, the college football and NFL analyst waded into uncomfortable territory, speculating whether Williams had the discipline to be the “first guy in, last guy out” type of quarterback, then quickly admitting he hadn’t heard anything to suggest Williams wasn’t already doing those things.
“I think the thing that remains to be seen — and only time will tell — is if he understands what it takes to be an NFL quarterback as far as the preparation, as far as first guy there, last guy leaving. And I’m not suggesting he’s not doing those things, but just all of those little things that really make the great quarterbacks special.”
– Kirk Herbstreit on Caleb Williams.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 27, 2024
Those comments drew pushback at the time as an example of Herbstreit’s tendency to dip his toe into criticism without fully owning it, walking a tightrope and offering critiques that read more like musings than definitive takes.
It’s perfectly fine for an NFL analyst to critique Williams and any other NFL quarterback, but Herbstreit keeps coming at him from odd angles that obscure the critique’s core message. From now on, it’d probably be best to leave the hearsay and metaphors on the cutting room floor and just get to the point.
And for goodness sake, don’t compare athletes to animals.
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