Alan Williams was the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator when Matt Eberflus took over in 2022. That remained true going into 2023. However, things started going sideways towards the end of September. The coach disappeared from the building first, and then abruptly resigned from the team shortly after. It was later revealed that he got into trouble having intimate conversations with a woman on the phone at Halas Hall. She then tried to extort him for money. Rather than deal with the mess, the organization urged him to step away.

As it turns out, that wasn’t the worst scandal that rocked Halas Hall that year. Not long after that, the team also fired running backs coach David Walker. That one was an even bigger mystery. Eberflus barely offered anything about the decision. Some thought it was because the team wasn’t satisfied with his work. That was not the case. It was much worse. Tyler Dunne of Go Long revealed the Walker’s situation was significantly darker than Williams’, and it eventually forced the Bears’ hand.

Then, there was David Walker. Two months later, the running backs coach was let go. One high-ranking source tells us the Bears concluded Walker harassed several females in the building via text and was warned by HR to stop. The father of an intern whom Walker was texting finally contacted the Bears and threatened to take action. On Nov. 1, Eberflus announced that Walker had been terminated.

Walker certainly did Alan Williams a favor.

His exit took some of the attention away from the defensive coordinator. As a result, nobody has spoken about Williams since he left. Unsurprisingly, neither man has found a job since leaving Chicago. Their reputations appear stained. Walker should’ve known better. That kind of behavior is never acceptable, but getting away with it is impossible in this era of the NFL. Human resource departments are stricter than ever about protecting employees, especially women. The coach clearly felt he was above any potential punishment because of the job he occupied. Yet despite receiving a warning, he kept doing it. Now he is probably wondering if it was worth it after a career spanning almost 20 years went up in smoke.

When a team loses their opening game, a pall sets over the fanbase. “Will they ever,” the throngs moan, “will they ever win a football game?” With the amount of anticipation many felt heading into this season, the season opener was a massive letdown for Bears fans. Will they recover in Detroit? Three final thoughts:

(1) There is not much to statistically evaluate when both teams have only played one football game. But there is NO QUESTION that Dan Campbell will look at the Detroit run game performance against the Packers and make it his focus this week in practice. The Lions, with or without Ben Johnson, are going nowhere in 2025 if the offense is reliant upon Jared Goff throwing 40+ passes a game. Expect a healthy dose of Gibbs and Montgomery, whether they’re finding success or not.

(2) When I asked folks inside the building about Montez Sweat’s terrible 2024 season, I heard a lot of excuses. Those same people were telling me, up until a week ago, they expected big things from Sweat this season. If those big things don’t come in the form of a double-digit sack season, how can this defense be expected to hold up against any opponent? Sweat was somewhat invisible on the edge against Minnesota. He can’t be the same in Detroit.

(3) Ben Johnson brought promise to Chicago, but a lot of fans looked at Monday Night Football and said, “this looks oddly the same as every other Bears team.” Can Johnson cut down the pre-snap penalties? Can he get the quarterback playing in rhythm? Can he find something in the running game? While the rest of the football fan/media landscape has been fixated on the quarterback, my gaze is thrust squarely upon the sideline.

Prediction: Detroit Lions 24, Chicago Bears 20. (But I’m ready to be surprised.)

Darnell Wright was a controversial selection for the Chicago Bears in April of 2023. Many experts felt that while the Tennessee tackle was a 1st round prospect, he wasn’t top 10. Yet GM Ryan Poles felt the mammoth blocker had the rare mix of size, feet, and athleticism to become a high-quality protector in the NFL. It was bold, especially since Poles chose to pass on Georgia standout defensive tackle Jalen Carter. People were skeptical. To his credit, Wright embraced the challenge and arrived with an outstanding work ethic from the jump.

Time might be proving Poles knew what he was doing. Though the Bears’ offense remains a work in progress, people haven’t taken the time to notice Wright’s evolution. Since week 12 of last season, he has played eight games. He has not given up a single quarterback pressure in five of them. He has allowed more than two only once, which was the loss to Seattle last year when Caleb Williams held the ball constantly. Wright had 154 snaps where he was left to block the opposing rusher one-on-one. He allowed five pressures total with no sacks.

Darnell Wright has become exactly what the Chicago Bears hoped.

The only drawback you can point to anymore is penalties. Wright had eight last year and two on Monday night. In fairness, one of them was a bogus holding call that replays showed was completely ridiculous. Still, he suffers from pre-snap issues that still need cleaning up. That said, everything is clicking from a blocking standpoint. Even his run-blocking improved after a mediocre rookie season. For the first time in years, it looks like a 1st round investment on the offensive line is paying off. Wright feels like the anchor around which everything should be built moving forward. If they can find a left tackle to match his ability, the Chicago Bears’ offense line will become the most formidable it’s been in decades.

Something seemed off Monday night. Caleb Williams didn’t have a bad game. His numbers were solid. No turnovers. Yet it didn’t feel like the type of game he should’ve had with Ben Johnson as his new coach. There were too many inaccurate passes and too many times when it felt like he passed up easy completions searching for bigger plays. Many of the same problems followed him in his rookie year, and head coach Ben Johnson sometimes looked visibly frustrated. People who know him were left wondering how long he’d tolerate Williams playing like that. There were even conversations about whether backup Tyson Bagent might get a look sooner than people think.

Such an idea was quickly dismissed. Williams is so talented. Abandoning him after one game is foolish. This is true. The Bears will maintain the course with him for a while yet. Still, at least one person sees problems. Former quarterback Tim Jenkins knows Williams and is familiar with Bagent. The Bears’ backup is not wired the typical way. He believes in his heart that he is a starter. The fact that he chose to re-sign in Chicago anyway was telling. It is possible there is some belief that Johnson will turn to him eventually. Jenkins revealed this thinking on Hoge & Jahns.

Tyson Bagent plays the way Johnson prefers.

He is primarily a pocket passer who diagnoses the defense pre-snap and knows where to go with the ball. He’s on time and accurate with his throws. The only knock on him to this point has been a general lack of arm strength. Williams has him beat comfortably in that category, along with athleticism. Teams always prefer to bet on the greater talent. However, playing quarterback in the NFL has been proven time and time again to be a game between the ears. It is evident Tyson Bagent sees and thinks the game at a high level. He’s a tireless worker who obsesses over the playbook and film study.

This is not to say Williams doesn’t work hard. Everybody around him has said he does. Unfortunately, some players don’t have the processing speed necessary to juggle all the information between pre- and post-snap. Johnson had that type of player in Detroit with Jared Goff, and the offense ripped defenses to shreds. At some point, the head coach might be willing to sacrifice talent to run the system how he wants.

One cannot understate how important the next four or five weeks are. If Williams continues showing limited progress, Johnson may consider going to Bagent.

Caleb Williams is under the microscope this season far more than any other quarterback from his draft class. Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix made the playoffs. Drake Maye was insulated from criticism because of how bad New England was. Michael Penix Jr. didn’t play until later in the season. Williams had the misfortune of starting every game, going 5-12, and taking 68 sacks. Despite solid numbers, it wasn’t a pretty season. That led to plenty of criticism throughout the offseason, capped off by a blistering story released by Tyler Dunne of Go Long, which called Williams’ work ethic and drive into question. People have been reluctant to embrace such rumors. Then Jaylon Johnson spoke.

If you know anything about the Chicago Bears’ star cornerback, it’s that he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. He’s honest. That was why his answer was telling when he appeared on the Pivot Podcast and was asked about Williams. Johnson admitted he doesn’t know what a great quarterback looks like behind the scenes. He hasn’t played with one yet in his career. Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton, and Justin Fields all took their shots to no avail. One thing he did say about Williams is that he was spending a lot more time in the facility.

This year.

Jaylon Johnson hinted that those concerns about work ethic were real.

The stories were that Williams, for all his incredible talent, didn’t truly understand the amount of preparation needed to succeed in the NFL. He didn’t always pay attention in meetings or jot down notes. The somewhat soft-handed approach by the coaching staff under Matt Eberflus didn’t help. By the time Thomas Brown took over in late November, it was too late to change anything. Every time he tried to instill some discipline in Williams, he was brushed off. The quarterback knew the season was over and the coaching staff was probably getting fired. Professional? No, but it would explain many things.

What Jaylon Johnson revealed is two things. Williams didn’t work hard enough last year. He paid the price for it, both mentally and physically. It appears that it taught him some harsh lessons and, together with the arrival of the more firm-handed Ben Johnson, he’s begun preparing like a professional should.

The season opener for the Chicago Bears was a frustrating affair. They had the game in hand in the 3rd quarter, leading 17-6. One more score probably would’ve put it out of reach. Then a horrible penalty call kept the door open for Minnesota, and they surged through it to prevail 27-24. One would think head coach Ben Johnson might prefer caution about any proclamations about Sunday at Ford Field. It’s the Detroit Lions, his former team, and the reigning division champions. Keep it humble, right?

Not even a little bit. Johnson was asked about the implications if the Bears were to lose the game. Not only would they be 0-2, but 0-2 in the NFC North. The head coach didn’t even pause to think about it. He stated such a question was ludicrous. The Bears were going to win on Sunday. Period

Name the last Bears head coach who would’ve had the guts to say something like that. Matt Nagy? Nope. Lovie Smith? Absolutely not. Mike Ditka? Maybe, but even he was careful about such comments. This is uncharted territory, and a window into how Johnson is wired. He doesn’t care about tempting fate. Winning is the only thing that matters, and he expects to.

Ben Johnson might be the maniac the Bears need.

There is no doubt the head coach knew what he was doing. He was putting Bears players on the spot. He wrote the check. Now it’s their job to cash it. Detroit will get wind of those words and immediately use them as motivation for Sunday. Ben Johnson isn’t dumb. Those words were meant to show his team that this game is war. It is either victory or death. He wants that pressure. If you want to be great, you must step up to challenges. If playing the Lions alone isn’t enough to get the Bears ready for battle, Johnson provided the extra incentive. Was it a dangerous thing to say? Of course. That was entirely the point. Johnson is willing to double down on his belief in this team, no matter what the outsiders say. He wants everybody to follow his lead.