It was supposed to be the dawn of a brighter era for Chicago Bears football. Caleb Williams finally had the coach he needed. Ben Johnson was an offensive guru who’d worked wonders in Detroit. The team had surrounded the quarterback with better protection and more weapons. It was time to show everybody why he was the #1 overall pick. Instead, he showed many of the same problems that haunted him as a rookie. His feet were frenetic and all over the place. He sailed way too many passes out of reach for his receivers. Lastly, he still held the ball too long at times.
He seemed to have learned nothing in the past several months despite Johnson’s strict guidance, which was a red flag to many of the people watching. Many experts who cover the team evoked the mention of one of the darker moments in recent Bears history as a comparison: Mitch Trubisky’s disastrous opening night performance in 2019. After making a Pro Bowl and winning the division, expectations were sky high going into that game against the Green Bay Packers. Trubisky imploded, completing less than 58% of his passes with a game-ending INT, five sacks, and only managing three points. Many watching felt that was when they knew Trubisky wasn’t the guy. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron is now getting the same vibes from Williams after Monday night.
It is impossible to ignore the signs.
In the moment, the second half last night felt like week one of the 2019 season.
Maybe it won’t age the same way, but in the moment, that’s what it felt like.
Pure dread.
Last night might have broken me. Things need to improve and improve quickly.
Here I am, holding my breath on another Chicago Bears’ quarterback. Here we go again.
Caleb Williams risks falling into the same trap Trubisky did.
The worst thing a quarterback can do is lose the faith of the head coach. Matt Nagy wasn’t the one who drafted him. He arrived a year later and agreed to take over Mitch’s development. It worked well at first. However, over time, it seemed like the head coach cooled on the quarterback more and more. That night at Soldier Field was probably a decisive moment. Their relationship went downhill in the following weeks.
Johnson inherited Caleb Williams. Like Nagy, he agreed to take over the development, recognizing the young quarterback’s obvious potential. However, coaches never truly know if somebody has it until they get in the building together. Johnson has said good things about Williams for months. However, he’s also made it clear the Bears quarterback has a long way to go. Was Monday night a revelation for him, as it was for others?
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If things don’t improve in the coming weeks, we may get an answer.
