People were worried about how the relationship between quarterback Caleb Williams and new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson would work. For one, Johnson had no say in drafting Williams. That can sometimes lead to serious chemistry problems. Lots of coaches prefer acquiring their own quarterback. Then you had the other issue with Johnson. He had a reputation for being a demanding coach. Some young quarterbacks don’t respond well to constant critiquing and obsessive attention to detail. Williams had spent most of his life being catered to as a quarterback. He wouldn’t get much of that with Johnson.
Williams admitted that he was uncertain about things when they first started working together. He wondered if Johnson even liked him. Over time, though, the quarterback began to understand how his new coach was wired. The criticism was never about asserting power. Johnson’s entire goal was to win football games. To do that, the quarterback must be at his best. Williams couldn’t be at his best without someone holding him to a high standard. He explained at his recent press conference that the scoldings don’t bother him anymore. He knows where they’re coming from and what they’re meant to achieve.
“Well, I just know we have a real common goal. It’s to find a way to make the Chicago Bears champions at the end of the day. So what he says, everything he says and what we’ve been through, like I said, everything he says and what he says to me, I’ll do it at 200% and won’t look back. And so that’s kind of how it is now. If he yells and curses at me or anything like that, I know it’s for the greater good of the team. So whatever it takes is what it’s going to take.”
Caleb Williams keeps showing experts how wrong they were.
His talent was never debated leading up to the 2024 draft. What kept coming up was his maturity. His unique personality and interests didn’t sit right with football purists. They saw a young kid who didn’t understand the gravity of his position and the responsibilities placed on him. Going into year three, the evidence has piled up to such an extent that it’s laughable they ever thought that. Williams is far more mature than he gets credit for. Nothing has mattered more to him than winning since the moment he stepped into Halas Hall.
The key difference was that the Bears didn’t have a head coach who could match that single-minded determination. Then Johnson arrived. As alpha as the two men could be, they’re also smart enough to recognize that they’re trying to pull in the same direction. Caleb Williams said he wanted to be pushed when he arrived in Chicago. Johnson has no problem pushing him. It was all about finding the right wavelength where the two could communicate. It sounds like that was found at some point in the second half of last season.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Behind every great quarterback, you often find a great coach.
Joe Montana had Bill Walsh. Brett Favre had Mike Holmgren. Tom Brady had Bill Belichick. Aaron Rodgers had Mike McCarthy. Matthew Stafford has Sean McVay. As bad as the quarterbacks have been in Chicago over the years, the coaches haven’t been much better. This marks the first time since at least the 1980s that they have guys at both positions who are at least good. That was Jim McMahon and Mike Ditka. Bears fans saw what those two accomplished for most of the decade.
The pairing of Williams and Johnson could be significantly better. Williams is more talented than McMahon was. Johnson is by far the better offensive mind. They can soar much higher, provided they stay on the same page. McMahon and Ditka eventually fell apart due to various issues, including personality conflicts. It sounds like that won’t be a problem for Williams. He knows Johnson is trying to make him better. Sometimes that requires hearing things he doesn’t want to.
