Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has made it clear that learning his offense is a process.
The players are flooded with information to test if they can sink or swim. Quarterback Caleb Williams described his first training camp as “drowning” while trying to learn Johnson’s scheme. With Williams now in his second summer with Johnson, the third-year quarterback is far more comfortable, and that goes beyond just his knowledge of the playbook.
“I feel a lot better,” Williams said. “I'm head above water. I'm able to get new plays in and be able to go execute them in a positive manner. I would say better than I have in my past, and so I would say that's positive. And then I think my process is better, being able to know what I like to do in the morning, what I like to eat, when I'm getting in, what I'm doing this day and how I'm doing it, whether I'm walking through by myself, whether we're meeting early, all these different things. Being able to be in control of that, kind of know my own schedule and know what's going on, and then just knowing the offense and being more detailed about it has helped me tremendously.”
Caleb Williams' comfort in Ben Johnson's offense should unlock the Bears QB
Although Williams set the Bears’ single-season passing record last season and led the team to an NFC North title, he did so while still in the learning phase of Chicago’s offense. Now, entering the application stage of his development, that progression alone should create optimism for what he can accomplish this season.
Johnson is also continuing to increase the overall volume of his offense, putting more in it this year than last season. He wants Williams to feel like it’s a lot right now and there has “been a level of plateau up to this point.” With the installation part of the summer nearly over, Johnson expects to see an upswing with his quarterback.
“Yeah, and really it's to see how much more he can handle this year than he did a year ago,” Johnson said. “So we're able to judge that and gauge it. He's embracing it really well. I love the process he has right now. I mean, he's coming in early, he's staying late after practice, getting extra reps with the route runners. He's taking complete control of what we're trying to do, and so we're on the right track.”
Williams looks like a quarterback who is in command of the offense. He understands what his teammates should do on the plays and will express his displeasure if motions aren’t exact. When he reaches the last step of his drop, he’s delivering the ball on time.
Williams said that area of his game has grown tremendously, citing his determination to throw as many as 100 passes during workouts because the ball wasn’t exactly where he wanted it. He also puts himself through mental simulations of game-on-the-line scenarios, so he is completely comfortable when those moments arrive.
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“It starts in the offseason, and then when I get here and I get with the guys, or when we go to L.A. and train, it's being vocal, it's being able to understand and know where the guy's going to be,” Williams said. “It's not me thinking about my footwork. It's more me trying to put the ball in the right spot for him and give him a runner's ball, which we always talk about, and so it starts with offseason training. It starts with me knowing the offense better, and I think I've done a better job with that so far. I can always be better.”
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