Why Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson’s evolving relationship has the Bears offense trending up after the offseason program
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is making positive strides in his second offseason under head coach Ben Johnson and the growing relationship will lead to more positive steps as the year progresses.
The Chicago Bears took major leaps forward in the first season with the partnership between head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams. This team has even bigger visions for the future and the team will only go as far as those two lead them.
That’s been a point of emphasis going into Year 2 is making sure Johnson and Williams are walking side-by-side and speaking the same language.
So far, through OTAs and minicamp, the Bears’ offense has looked much more polished and further along than they were this time last year. It’s no secret the relationship between Johnson and Williams is a big reason why.
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams and HC Ben Johnson are fully in sync this offseason
Last offseason, Williams admitted he didn’t feel like Johnson liked him during the offseason program. Sure, Johnson was probably frustrated about the offense’s progression and reoccurring issues both before and after the snap, but there was no ill feelings toward Williams.
Williams eventually got to understand Johnson better the more time they spent together in meetings and on the practice field. And Johnson got to understand how Williams was wired and the shared expectations they both had for this team.
“He wants to win here in Chicago and he wants to win Super Bowls,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday. “That’s really his motivating factor. He’s been very clear and consistent with that message over the last year and a half that I’ve gotten to know him. And so in order to do that, that’s what we’re pursuing.”
To get to the point of contending for a Super Bowl, much less winning multiple, it starts with the day-to-day progress and mastering the basics of quarterback play. The latter being a point of emphasis Johnson has been trying to drive home for Williams.
One of those biggest points involved Williams’ bottom-ranked completion percentage. So, everyday after practice, Johnson has been tracking every single ball Williams throws and tracking his progress on a graded scale and the message is starting to become engrained.
“It’s something that I realized is supremely important,” Williams said about his completion percentage. “It’s important to how we call it, how we play, how our routes are ran, the concepts, it’s important. And it’s important to coach, so it’s important to me and everybody else. Just being more conscious of it. The more emphasis, the more conscious you are of something typically when those two things are at hand you typically get better at something.”
Carrying the momentum into training camp
With the offseason program now over, Johnson encouraged Williams to get away from the coaching staff for a few weeks and enjoy the time off before training camp starts in late July, because that’s when the real work begins.
Williams fondly remembers how training camp looked last season, even though those days of practice were far from enjoyable. This time around, progress has taken place.
“I feel like I was drowning and trying to breathe, stay alive and wait for a boat to come around last year,” Williams explained. “This year, it’s being able to start what we finished last year: play-calls, and words, and verbiage, and speak the same language. Now, it’s being able to grow more from an earlier stage than maybe doing it a little bit earlier in the season or halfway through the season… That’s the advantage.”
The disadvantage is that Johnson has no plans of slowing things down for Williams. They’ll continue laying more bricks to the foundation. Training camp will test everyone involved, particularly his quarterback.
“His portion of that is to be the best leader that this team can get from the quarterback position,” Johnson added. “Excel this offense to the next level, be a good supportive teammate throughout the whole thing, and like I said, I think he continues to make significant strides. I’m very happy with where he is at.”