Caleb Williams does all the right things at USC pro day, and Bears fans need to get on board

Caleb Williams was throwing right there on the TV screen in front of me, and the world did not end.

If he had a bad attitude, I didn’t see it.

If his fingernails were — gasp! — painted, his passes didn’t seem less bullet-like.

If Bears officials were troubled by anything as they looked at him in person, they hid it well behind their covetous stares.

If Justin Fields’ fans were sticking pins in their Caleb Williams voodoo dolls, he didn’t react negatively.

This seems like a perfect opportunity to move on from all of it — from the concerns about Williams’ alleged prima-donna act, from the knuckle-dragging worries about his penchant for painted nails, from the Bears’ history of bad quarterback decisions and from Bears fans’ bizarre fascination with Fields. Especially that last one.

USC had its pro day Wednesday, which gave NFL teams the chance to look at the prized quarterback up close. The Bears, with the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s draft, looked at him more intently than other teams did. They saw a guy with a really good arm. They saw a guy with a really accurate arm. And, for kicks and giggles, they saw him punt and throw left-handed.

Barring some outside-the-box and out-of-his-mind decision by general manager Ryan Poles, Williams will be the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2024. Better for everyone to get used to that reality now than at kickoff in the season opener. Better to presume that he’s worthy of being taken No. 1 than to assume he’ll be an overrated disappointment. Better to drop the discussion about how Fields was done wrong.

What’s the point of thinking the worst of Williams? There’s no point to it.

Why automatically suspect he’s Tinseltown and not capable of taking over this toddlin’ town? You shouldn’t.

Williams’ critics will point out that, after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2022, he struggled last year, especially in a three-interception game against Notre Dame. That performance was all a certain segment of Bears fans needed to see to pass judgment. That and the video of him crying after a loss to Washington. Critics questioned his toughness.

Human beings thought he looked like a guy who cared.

On Wednesday, Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson had a few things to say about losing Fields and the possibility of gaining a brash rookie quarterback. His comments will go over well with the meatball contingent.

“You just humble yourself coming into the building,” Johnson said on FanDuel TV’s Up and Adams. “You can’t bring that Hollywood stuff into the building especially with guys who have played the game at a high level for consecutive years. … We going to see through that. What you did in college, the Hollywood, it’s like, ‘Nah, you gotta prove yourself. That stuff ... doesn’t matter.’ ”

The Bears’ brass took Williams to dinner Tuesday night, and I hope we get some details about the get-together to support the idea that he’s not so different from most everyone else. The team needs to spread that news, needs to lead a PR effort to humanize Williams. He’s been painted as the anti-Fields, meaning he’s not as much a team guy. If they’re smart, the Bears will paint him as an accurate passer who makes his team better. Such a novel concept for Chicago.

People gush about Fields’ athletic ability but won’t give Williams, who’s also extremely gifted, the same treatment. Someone will have to explain the intellectual picking and choosing to me.

Fields’ fans have gone from criticizing the Bears for not developing him better to criticizing the Bears for getting only a 2025 sixth-round pick for him from the Steelers. Apparently, the Bears have fooled 31 other NFL teams into believing Fields isn’t that good.

One of the Wednesday morning debates on ESPN was how soon Fields would replace Russell Wilson as the Steelers starter in 2024. That tells us that the hallucinations about Fields aren’t just a Chicago thing. I’ve never seen such an outpouring of support for a quarterback with a career passer rating of 82.3.

As I mentioned earlier, Wednesday seemed like a good time for a demarcation, for a virtual passing of the baton from Fields to Williams. But after three seasons of Fields, I know that’s probably wishful thinking. For whatever reason, his fans are holding onto him with all their emotional might. He has stirred something in them, and it’s up to them to declare what that something is.

For the Bears, Wednesday was one more step toward Williams in what figures to be a steady procession of steps. Looks like he’s going to be their guy.

Some of you might want to get over it.