Many people were puzzled by the Chicago Bears‘ decision to hire Ben Johnson. They knew GM Ryan Poles’ goal was to find a head coach who could get the most out of quarterback Caleb Williams. While they didn’t question Johnson’s play-calling aptitude, they did question the fit. It was felt he ran a system tuned to that of a quarterback like Jared Goff, who is a pure pocket passer. Williams was notorious in college for being a mobile player who thrived off improvisation. It is hard for many to imagine he could function in a system like Johnson’s.
Of course, that is unless people watch the games. Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports has watched every game Williams has played since college. Yes, his scrambling ability is a superpower he enjoys. However, this notion that he has no idea how to play on time from the pocket is ridiculous. From his observations, the young quarterback would prefer to play that style. He flashed an ability to do so several times this season. Tice explained that his pairing with Johnson might actually be perfect.
Johnson will be an immediate ally for Caleb Williams.
His system was known in Detroit for being focused on a consistent ground attack, fed further by heavy doses of play action and an effective screen game. Williams had a 95.2 passer rating off play action fakes and a 99.2 rating on screens. Chicago was 3-4 when they rushed for at least 100 yards in a game and 2-8 when they didn’t. Johnson knows how much of an ally the running game can be when it’s effective. That is why it wasn’t a coincidence he mentioned the offensive line and running back as two areas he’s hoping to “augment.”
The big question is whether Caleb Williams is willing to put in the work necessary to succeed. Talent is not the issue. He has more than enough. It comes down to being on top of the details that pro quarterbacks must be. There is some belief he skipped too many steps this season, which is a common issue for young players. Johnson’s arrival figures to change that. He’s known for being detail-oriented and a perfectionist. Williams won’t be allowed to ignore the process. This will be a terrific partnership if he is up for the challenge.
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@Bubba Ho-Tep, your entire write up is made up of lies or falsehoods because you couldn’t remember what actually happened. Poles made a great choice with Dexter. Dexter was actually on par with Jalen Carter statistically this year and improved greatly from his rookie year. Once Billings went down, it was easier to isolate him, and he wasn’t as impactful, but I think he will make another big jump in year 3. Wright had a solid season, no Pro Bowl season, but a solid season, and I would guarantee he has a Pro Bowl or two in him. You do… Read more »
@David: I agree. Can’t count the number of times when the color guy said that these two/three receivers cleared out this space, and the TE/Back flowed into it to get open, catch the pass, then a big YAC for a big gain, but almost all of them were for the opponents, not for the Bears. Johnson was a master of that, which is part of the reason LaPorta has such great numbers.
Didn’t know that Waldron didn’t review film with Caleb, that is criminal. Explains a lot.
Nagy raved about Trubisky potential when he got the Bears job. So I know to exercise caution when Ben raves about Caleb but it is clearly different. Both Johnson and Williams fit their roles as the offensive specialist and talented QB. It’s a better place to start from but now it will be result based. Again, who cares what any analyst says. This is where they are and this is the plan. It’s the best combo of coach/QB the bears have ever had to try and enter the modern NFL.
Oh, Nate Tice said that Caleb and Ben are good together. That’s just great. A analyst said that Caleb and Ben are good. Wow, that will make sleep easier. Lambert, nobody gives a fuck about what anyone says, especially unknown analysts like Nate Tice. We all know they got the best guy available to personally work with and develop Caleb. The point is to actually see if Caleb is everything Johnson says he is. The process has started and no matter what any analyst says, we all have to wait and be patient. @David. While I agree that Johnson will… Read more »
I actually think that Ben is going to do something we haven’t seen in a while here, and that’s scheme guys open. I think he’s going to make Caleb’s job much easier, and long gone are the days where we see 2 WRs in the same spot. It’s going to be night and day, just wait. Waldron was like hiring a criminal. Read an article of just how bad he was. One thing that really put it into perspective what Caleb had to ensure was the fact that Caleb had to go to upper management and ask them if he… Read more »