Teaching a quarterback to play the position like a professional is one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports. Plenty of guys can throw a ball with velocity, fewer who can do it with consistent accuracy, and even fewer who can process a defense quickly enough to get the ball out on time. There is a reason only a dozen or so guys can do it with any success. Caleb Williams hopes to join their ranks this season. Last year didn’t go as anybody planned, marred by rookie mistakes and horrendous coaching. Ben Johnson was hired to fix those problems.
The good news for the young head coach was Williams already had two of the three problems solved. He could throw the ball with velocity and had above-average-to-great accuracy. The primary sticking point is the last one. Processing speed was a serious problem for Williams. His bad tendency to hold the ball too long partly led to a franchise record 68 sacks last season. Coaching that out of a player is extremely difficult. How would Johnson do it? Simple.
He told Williams to become a Navy SEAL.
The head coach explained what he meant on the Hoge & Jahns podcast.
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Caleb Williams is now unquestionably in the right hands.
It is a perfect analogy. SEALs are the most well-trained soldiers on the planet. House-clearing is one of the most hazardous assignments in combat. You must be willing to trust your eyes and make split-second decisions. Sometimes it will lead to mistakes, but part of it is living with the consequences. Caleb Williams hasn’t reached that point yet. He has a risk-averse nature, not wanting to throw interceptions. While an admirable quality, it is also a double-edged sword because it leads to the extra hits and sacks he keeps taking. If he wants to stop that, adopting the SEAL mentality is the smart way to go. Ben Johnson gets it like no Bears coach has in recent memory.
