Lots of people were skeptical that it could work. Yes, on paper, it was a match made in heaven, pairing the absurd athletic talents of Caleb Williams with the strategic and tactical offensive genius of Ben Johnson. However, there was a deeper concern people had that centered around personalities. Johnson was known for being meticulous and detail-oriented. Williams was known for his out-of-structure playmaking. This seemed like a clash of styles that would never work long-term. Everybody saw that with Sean Payton and Russell Wilson.
Fast forward several months, and you never would’ve dreamed their relationship would be as close as it has become. The two became choked up talking about each other following the incredible comeback victory over Green Bay last Saturday. How did we get here? Passing game coordinator Press Taylor provided details to Adam Jahns of CHGO.
“I’ve never been around a head coach/quarterback spending this amount of time together that I know they spend,” passing game coordinator Press Taylor told CHGO. “I’ve talked to Ben about it way back in the offseason – of him and (Lions quarterback) Jared (Goff) doing that when he was the OC – and that’s the way to go.
“Watching their relationship and their understanding, getting on the same page watching things together has been pretty cool. … I don’t know what all the conversations are. We hear bits and pieces of it from either of them, but it’s obviously been great in terms of Caleb’s growth.”
Johnson once again showed his relentless drive.
Rather than ponder if the relationship would work, he put in the extra time necessary to make it work. He wasn’t going to be stubborn about it. Williams was worth the effort. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle believes the approach was spot on.
“I think the amount of time they spend together, the relationship that they’ve built, that’s the most important thing,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said recently. “You need the playcaller and the quarterback to be in sync, to be able to think the same way. I think both of them have been very open to learning how each other kind of operates and that takes time. There’s no shortcut to that. There’s nothing fake about that. That’s them being in a room and talking through football.”
Ben Johnson crossed a bridge many coaches aren’t willing to.
Many times, you’ll find that coaches aren’t willing to go the extra mile for a quarterback. It’s their way or the highway. The quarterback must learn to play the coach’s preferred style of football, or he will find somebody who will. That is what happened with Payton and Wilson, as well as Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky. However, there are cases in which a coach was willing to adapt to his quarterback’s abilities. John Harbaugh did it in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. Tom Landry did it with Roger Staubach in Dallas.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
If Ben Johnson wanted to win, he would have to set his ego aside and learn to work with Williams. The best way to do that was to spend as much time together as possible, learning how each other thinks. Once the quarterback had a good feel for his coach’s preferences and the coach understood the quarterback’s playmaking mentality, everything would come together. We’ve seen that unfold in real time over the past four months. Both men deserve credit for making it work.
