If you follow the buzz around Halas Hall as Chicago Bears training camp unfolds, the coaches have been directing it at several players. Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, Garrett Bradbury, Devin Bush, and Jordan Van Den Berg are some of the standouts. That isn’t a bad thing. It is a good sign that they feel those players could become serious contributors this coming season. However, by contrast, there hasn’t been much hype around Caleb Williams. This isn’t to say he has been bad. Media members watching practice have all indicated he’s looked great. It is just puzzling that head coach Ben Johnson and his staff have been rather quiet about it.
Are they seeing something others aren’t? Or are they intentionally downplaying how Williams looks in an effort to keep other teams guessing about his progress? People already know how the quarterback played last season. It wasn’t always perfect, but Williams was money in the clutch and made the big plays when they mattered most. The trick this season was mastering more of the small stuff. According to Albert Breer of the MMQB, that has been happening in camp, and people are struggling to contain their excitement.
“Caleb Williams, by all accounts, has been a different guy this offseason—more grown up, and taking full ownership of the offense. Last summer, Ben Johnson had him drinking from a firehose and it didn’t necessarily look pretty in camp. A year later, Williams has real proof of concept, plus command over what the Bears are trying to do. There’s joy and focus to the way he’s approaching how Johnson and the staff keep challenging him, which is a good sign that he’s really figured out how to meld his personality into the program the staff was able to establish last year.”
Caleb Williams isn’t the instrument player anymore.
He’s the conductor. There have been multiple instances in camp already where teammates lined up wrong before the snap. Every time, Williams stopped the play and forced them to run it again. Last year, it would’ve been Ben Johnson and the coaches doing that. Not anymore. This might be Johnson’s system, but it’s Williams’ show. The head coach has no problems with that. In fact, he has been working hard to foster it. When the quarterback and other players take ownership of the offense, everything gets better.
There are many examples of this throughout NFL history. Peyton Manning proved it for years in Indianapolis. Ken Stabler called his own players in Oakland during the glory years of the Raiders in the 1970s. Even Jim McMahon rebelled against Mike Ditka in the 1980s, often going off script with his own calls. It worked. Johnson is smart enough to know that he can’t always make perfect play calls. In those situations, you need a quarterback willing (and able) to make quick adjustments. Caleb Williams is reaching that point before our very eyes.
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The Bears seem intent on keeping him focused.
One of the pitfalls of knowing your player is approaching elite status is the possibility that it could go to their head. Johnson and his coaches must walk a careful line between keeping Williams motivated and also humble. Singing his praises to the media every chance they get could do more harm than good. Better to keep the comments complimentary while also leaving that window open for improvement. It certainly seems to be working. Williams has been dialed in since camp began and hasn’t let up.
This isn’t a big surprise. The quarterback still has a sour taste in his mouth after how last season ended. Losing in the divisional round hurt. Yet being mere yards away from what would’ve been a game-winning field goal makes it sting even more. Williams is more determined than ever to correct the problems that led to that defeat. It starts with being more efficient. No more freebies for the opponents. Once that happens, stopping him will be a nightmare.
