Don’t get it twisted. Caleb Williams clearly loves Ben Johnson’s offense. He is playing much better football than he did last season, despite what the statistics may or may not indicate. His understanding of the game has deepened by multiple degrees. Williams’ ability to manage the game and control the offense is undeniable. That said, his numbers have not yet caught up. His completion percentage is among the worst of all starters in the NFL. He’s missing way too many of the easier throws, which throws off his rhythm and leads to slow starts.
Fixing that issue is the top priority moving forward. However, Williams appears to have grasped a fundamental truth about Johnson’s offense that he lacked when the season began. There is no way he’s mastering it this year. The quarterback openly admitted it during his recent presser when asked what he likes about Johnson.
“Our open communication. I think it’s just the bond we are building. The details this offense takes, it is going to take a little more than a year to get on his level.”
Such honesty is not hard to understand. Johnson’s system is notorious for being complex. It has several layers to it, meant to have answers for everything defenses try. While that makes it incredibly hard to stop, it is also incredibly hard to learn.
Caleb Williams finally found the one thing he needed: patience.
Last season, it felt like the Chicago Bears quarterback was trying to rush the process. He looked to cut corners, hoping to jump straight to excellence immediately. GM Ryan Poles alluded to this multiple times. It didn’t work. Caleb Williams took 68 sacks and looked lost for long stretches during games. Johnson made it clear upon arrival that there would be no skipping the details. Either the quarterback would learn to master everything, or he could expect to get replaced at some point. Williams embraced the challenge.
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Compared to where he was in August and September, it is remarkable how far the quarterback has come. He’s executing at such a high level in long spurts, looking more like a professional every week. This is with the knowledge that he probably hasn’t run even 50% of the entire playbook yet. That is the scary part. The longer this goes on, the more tools in the box Williams will have at his disposal. Once he stops thinking and starts reacting, there will be nothing opponents can do to stop him.
The trick was always learning to embrace the grind.
