The Packers rookie discussed the dinner he had with the NFL Hall of Fame safety on Locked On Packers this week
The Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears are set to meet this weekend for their 209th match-up in a rivalry that began over 100 years ago. Over the last century, fans have been blessed with a variety of iconic moments, a multitude of emotional rollercoaster rides, and a plentiful helping of player beefs to go along with it.
Just last season we got David Bakhtiari flipping the bird to Bears fans at Soldier Field, Bears safety Jaquan Brisker calling the Packers wide receivers “fake tough”, and Packers players clapping back at his comments. This year we’ve already had Packers QB Jordan Love saying he wants to be the “new owner of the Bears”, Bears WR DJ Moore taking shots at the Packers’ secondary in the offseason, and Packers safety Xavier McKinney calling DJ Moore out for it. No matter how lopsided the rivalry might get at times (the Packers have won the last 10) the tension stays high between the two division foes.
Some of the newest members of the Packers may not understand the intensity until Sunday’s game arrives, but rookie safety Evan Williams got some first-hand insight from NFL Hall of Fame safety LeRoy Butler. In an interview with Peter Bukowski on Locked On Packers this week, Williams mentioned he recently had dinner with Butler that included a “great conversation” with the Lambeau Leap inventor about his time with the Packers and the intensity of Bears week.
According to Williams, Butler told him he didn’t understand the magnitude of the matchup when he was first drafted in 1990, but learned quickly from his fellow Packers teammates just how big of a deal it is. “His teammates told him ‘This is different. State lines are being crossed,’ ” Williams told Bukowski. He continued by saying Butler’s teammates emphasized to the young safety that it’s “a different type of energy” and that things can get a little feisty when the teams clash. Williams added that he, like Butler all those years ago, is doing his best to understand the history of the rivalry so he can “come into battle ready to fight” when they face off on Sunday.
You can listen or watch the entire Evan Williams interview with Locked On Packers on YouTube or by going to this link.
The Packers are coming off their bye week sitting at 6-3 on the season as they head to Chicago to take on the 4-5 Bears who are fresh off firing the offensive coordinator they hired this offseason. The Packers hold the overall series lead over the Bears (107-95-6) and can set a consecutive win record if they beat the Bears on Sunday. They’re currently sitting at 10 straight wins over the Bears dating back to 2019, which ties their own high they set back in 1998. No matter how things go, you can always expect things to get heated between the two teams.