Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson Enter Bears Camp With ‘Lofty’ Objectives. Can They Attain Them?

Chicago – Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are coming into their first coaching camp along with the Chicago Bears on the identical web page. 

The top coach and quarterback duo are setting some very massive and really clear objectives for themselves, whether or not that be an emphasis on recreation administration and situational soccer for Johnson or some extra “loftier” objectives for Williams. 

“It isn’t a secret,” Johnson stated. “I informed [Williams] I’d love for him this season to finish 70% of his balls. 

“It is a lofty aim, however it’s one we’ll try for,” Johnson added. “Due to that, we’ll use that as a benchmark and sort of work from there.”

For reference, Williams’ completion fee final season was 62.5%. There have been a complete of solely 5 quarterbacks league-wide who had a completion fee of over 70% with at the very least 300 dropbacks. Johnson’s former quarterback, Jared Goff, was considered one of them.

Each Johnson and Williams have been in communication all summer time, whether or not it was considered one of Williams’ check-in texts or longer conversations about soccer, household and even issues like vehicles. After they’re each within the constructing, Williams will pop as much as Johnson’s workplace simply to speak generally.

Pads haven’t come on, nor has follow begun to arrange for the season, however it’s turning into more and more clear that there’s a robust relationship budding between the first-time head coach and his new quarterback.

There may be the soccer facet of every thing, too, in fact. That’s what they’re each there for, in spite of everything. And the work didn’t cease for the summer time, regardless of the pair going their separate methods for a bit.

Johnson gave Williams “homework” this summer time. There have been issues that have been emphasised within the spring that continued — issues like Williams’ footwork below heart, his pre-snap process and being extra decisive.

Caleb Williams is trying to bounceback after struggling as a rookie in 2024. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/Tribune Information Service through Getty Photos)

Williams took to listening again to voice notes of play calls to proceed to get comfy. He would even follow his cadence whereas driving.

However there have been extra particular assignments, too.

“A part of the homework is — a few of it was footwork,” Williams informed me. “A few of it was not essentially homework, however assist guidelining the offseason. You recognize, get by means of the playbook half-hour, 40 minutes, an hour every day. Twenty-four hours, day-after-day. If you happen to can’t surrender an hour or half-hour to go over your playbook, you most likely shouldn’t be on this place. It was simply small issues like that. Homework-wise, it was primarily the footwork after which some left, brief throws that in OTAs, I used to be lacking. So labored on that each single day that I threw and went by means of my footwork day-after-day that I used to be on the market as nicely.”

Johnson and Williams’ relationship is the driving pressure behind that sort of preparation, which ought to assist in Williams’ growth over the following six weeks.

That’s when the bullets are stay and when Williams can get to work on his personal objectives — a few of that are historic.

“Clearly, I’ve self-goals,” Williams stated. “That’s being the primary 4,000-yard passer in Bears historical past. That’s a aim of mine. Seventy p.c completion, that helps the staff, retains [us] on the sector, places us in higher positions. After which, apart from that, simply attempting to go down and rating essentially the most factors that we are able to with every drive that we’ve. That’s sort of my self-goal and clearly, apart from that, you’ve received to go win. That’s success for me, that’s success for the staff. That’s all we want for and I want for.”

Particular person success by the quarterback means total success for the staff, however serving to in that success is Johnson himself, who has to develop as a coach as he tries to make the transition from coordinator. It’s not a simple transition to make — you’re inundated with choices that have an effect on the entire staff each on the sector and off. You’re the man who has to present the inexperienced mild to go for it on fourth down. You’re the man who has to name the timeouts. The transition isn’t going to be with out its challenges or bumps within the street. However Johnson has thought that by means of, too.

“I believe the one factor I’ve been occupied with so much is leaning on the folks round me,” Johnson stated. “So, I’ve received a really skilled teaching workers by design, from Dennis Allen to Richard Smith to Richard Hightower. We have plenty of guys which have finished this at a excessive degree for a very long time, and so I’m going to be going to them for recommendation fairly a bit when sure issues come up.”

Coming into his first 12 months as head coach, Ben Johnson has ready for the upcoming challenges in quite a lot of methods. (Photograph by Michael Reaves/Getty Photos)

Johnson has burdened constructing belief this offseason, even likening it to a documentary on Netflix known as “Thunderbirds” that he watched this summer time. Johnson noticed plenty of parallels between the stunt pilots being put collectively and anticipated to place their lives in one another’s palms. Whereas the stakes might not be as excessive as F-16 army pilots, Johnson, his coaches and the gamers will all have to come back collectively to see success going ahead — their livelihoods rely upon it.

The largest query mark the Bears face proper now’s if Williams is the long run. He isn’t the primary extremely touted quarterback to come back to Chicago with the load of the franchise on his shoulders. This isn’t the primary offseason the place, on paper, the Bears received higher. It’s not the primary time Chicago followers have gotten their hopes up.

However is it completely different this time?

The objectives each Johnson and Williams have set for themselves would counsel that it’s. As Williams alluded to, the Bears have by no means had a 4,000-yard passer within the staff’s century-plus-long historical past. Chicago has not been synonymous with good quarterback play or potent offense, for that matter.

If Williams completes 70% of his passes and throws for over 4,000 yards whereas Johnson learns to handle the sport and the Bears excel at situational soccer, it actually would possibly simply be completely different this time round.

 Carmen Vitali is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. Carmen had earlier stops with The Draft Community and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, together with 2020, which added the title of Tremendous Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You possibly can observe Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV. 

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