How to temper all the enthusiasm about Bears quarterback Caleb Williams? You don't.

I don’t suppose it would do any good to counsel civic restraint when it comes to Caleb Williams.

You wouldn’t tell a parched man crawling in the desert that he might want to be mindful of germs when he gets to that canteen of water shimmering in the distance.

Here in the quarterback wasteland, there’s no place for subtlety, no room for self-control. There are only cannonballs into the pool of This is the One!

I’ve wondered about Bears fans who have thrown themselves at quarterbacks over the years, sure that each version was finally the answer. I’ve wondered how they could buy into somebody, be wrong and then, without any shame, buy so totally into the next QB. Over and over and over. Does being a fan mean never having to say sorry, only “rah?”

I’m pretty sure the answer is yes. And that’s OK.

Everyone is caught up in Williams. I am. You are. Maybe even Williams is. This probably wouldn’t be the best time to mention that it was at about this stage in Justin Fields’ three-year stay with the Bears that everyone was caught up in him, too. I was. You were. Maybe even Fields was.

But I think there are differences.

Williams was born to play the position. I’m not sure Fields was. To put it another way, I think Fields could play other positions on a football field. I don’t think Williams could.

It’s early days, ridiculously early days, but Williams has an ability to scan the field, make a decision and get rid of the ball quickly. He has a strong arm, and he’s accurate.

The sum of all his parts seems to be something we haven’t seen in Chicago.

It’s why I’m having a hard time telling people to ease off the gas pedal.

Williams’ second-quarter touchdown run against the Bengals in a preseason game Saturday was Fields-esque. He Houdini-ed out of a mashed pocket, ran right, spun left, looked to pass, directed receivers and finally followed lineman Teven Jenkins into the end zone. It was a lot of running for a seven-yard TD. The Soldier Field faithful got their money’s worth, whatever they paid.

But there was little doubt Williams was looking to throw the ball first. He’s a passer who happens to run really well. Not the other way around.

"I've been trying to get a little bit better with balancing that and taking what they give me, taking what the defense gives me, whether it's a run for yardage or quick pass in front of me," he said. "It's always a constant battle to do things like that. You just continue to get better at those situations."

Four plays earlier, he had thrown a beautiful pass to wide receiver Rome Odunze. After the game, the 45-yard completion had Williams excited about the possibilities with his fellow rookie.

"We're going to be explosive," he said.

The performance had observers sending out social-media hosannas.

“Congrats Bears fans, y’all deserve this. You’ve never had a 4,000 yard passer. You’ve never had a 30 TD QB. You’ve only had 1 pro bowl QB since the 80’s. Congrats Bears, with Caleb Williams, you have it all. Your endurance has been rewarded!’’

Easy there, Joe Fan. Oh, wait. That was Emmanuel Acho, a former Eagles linebacker and current FS1 personality.

OK, fine. Easy there, Emmanuel. This is where someone like me, someone who has seen a few things, gets squeamish. This is where someone who has seen the dreams of quarterback-hungry Chicagoans get demolished preaches moderation. This is where someone who has seen the carnage steps in to say, “You’re guaranteeing a 4,000-passer to a fan base that has never seen one? Are you crazy?’’

Captives who have been starving for years are not given a steak dinner when they’re freed. Their stomachs wouldn’t be able to handle the shock after so much nutritional deprivation. Telling Bears fans a superstar is here two games into his first preseason is no less overwhelming to the system.

So how to temper all this enthusiasm? You don’t. It’s pointless. I know a tsunami when I see one. This time, the tidal wave of belief might actually have substance. The last one, the one that swamped us with Fields love, didn’t.

Many fans and analysts continue to hold onto three ideas about Fields: that a remedial Bears coaching staff stunted his development; that if he had had the talent around him that Williams does presently, his young career would have been a much different story; and that, now in Pittsburgh, he still has a chance to be great. It’s a mishmash of thoughts, but taken together, the gist is that people have a hard time admitting they were wrong about Fields.

The best thing for Bears fans is that the dream of Williams’ excellence and the reality of it seem to be converging. It’s the grand idea that he’s going to transform the franchise and that, for once, they’re finally going to be right about a Bears quarterback. We’ll see.

There’s a better way to put that: We can’t wait to see.