Bears HC Ben Johnson reverses course with preseason plan for Caleb Williams and it’s one everyone wanted to see last week
QB1 is suiting up.
A controversial decision came out of Halas Hall last week when Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson elected to sit quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of the starters in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins.
Johnson’s belief was that the starters on both sides of the ball would get ample opportunities in the joint practice against the Dolphins while doing 70+ reps during warmups ahead of the game.
Going into preseason Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, the plans will change.
“Our starters are going to play,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. “Everyone is going to play. Last week, and really all through camp, I’ve been pretty consistent with the thought of reps, reps, reps are the most important thing to get (Williams) up to speed. By the plan that we had a week ago, we were able to get him somewhere between 80 and 100 more reps than we would have been able to do had he played in the game.”
Even though Williams and the starters got quality reps in warmups and joint practice, going out there in a live game setting gives the team a better evaluation of how things are looking.
“There is no substitute for real live bullets, I get that,” Johnson explained last week. “But at the same time, when you can accumulate 70-plus reps in a day, that’s pretty good. That goes a long way in terms of where you want to go with the connection with the quarterback and his pass catchers.”
This new decision is something many fans hoped to see amid all the struggles taking place on the offensive side of the ball, from all players, not just Williams.
“We’ve challenged him. It’s been a lot, and that’s by design,” Johnson added. “So, if we struggle at all in the huddle getting the play out, then the delays are going to pop up. That’s a little bit a part of the learning process and us growing. By design, we’ve made this very challenging and hard. And we know what we need to do as a staff to alleviate that pressure.”
Part of the way to do so is by getting Williams and the starters on the field to really see what’s working and what’s not in a true game environment, so that it becomes second nature by Week 1 of the regular season.
As for how many reps Williams and other starters will actually see on Sunday night, Johnson noted it’s won’t be determined until after Friday’s joint practice.
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Another intense day of practice is coming up this week.
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