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

Chicago – Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams are entering their first training camp together with the Chicago Bears on the same page. 

The head coach and quarterback duo are setting some very big and very clear goals for themselves, whether that be an emphasis on game management and situational football for Johnson or some more “loftier” goals for Williams. 

“It’s not a secret,” Johnson said. “I told [Williams] I might love for him this season to finish 70% of his balls. 

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

For reference, Williams’ completion charge final season was 62.5%. There have been a complete of solely 5 quarterbacks league-wide who had a completion charge of over 70% with no less than 300 dropbacks. Johnson’s former quarterback, Jared Goff, was one in all them.

Each Johnson and Williams have been in communication all summer time, whether or not it was one in all Williams’ check-in texts or longer conversations about soccer, household and even issues like vehicles. Once 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 observe begun to arrange for the season, however it’s changing 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 part, too, in fact. That’s what they’re each there for, in any case. 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 had been emphasised within the spring that continued — issues like Williams’ footwork below middle, his pre-snap process and being extra decisive.

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

Williams took to listening again to voice notes of play calls to proceed to get snug. He would even observe 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 instructed me. “A few of it was not essentially homework, however assist guidelining the offseason. You recognize, get by the playbook half-hour, 40 minutes, an hour every day. Twenty-four hours, on daily basis. In case you can’t quit an hour or half-hour to go over your playbook, you in all probability shouldn’t be on this place. It was simply small issues like that. Homework-wise, it was primarily the footwork after which some left, quick throws that in OTAs, I used to be lacking. So labored on that each single day that I threw and went by my footwork on daily basis that I used to be on the market as nicely.”

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

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

“Clearly, I’ve self-goals,” Williams mentioned. “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 making an attempt to go down and rating essentially the most factors that we will with every drive that we have now. That’s type of my self-goal and clearly, apart from that, you’ve acquired 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 straightforward transition to make — you’re inundated with selections that have an effect on the entire staff each on the sector and off. You’re the man who has to offer the inexperienced gentle 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 highway. However Johnson has thought that by, too.

“I believe the one factor I’ve been eager about so much is leaning on the individuals round me,” Johnson mentioned. “So, I’ve acquired a really skilled teaching employees by design, from Dennis Allen to Richard Smith to Richard Hightower. We have got various guys which have accomplished 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.”

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

Johnson has burdened constructing belief this offseason, even likening it to a documentary on Netflix referred to as “Thunderbirds” that he watched this summer time. Johnson noticed a number of parallels between the stunt pilots being put collectively and anticipated to place their lives in one another’s fingers. 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 depend upon it.

The most important query mark the Bears face proper now’s if Williams is the longer term. 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 acquired 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 recommend 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 may 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’ll be able to comply with Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV. 

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