Bears QB Caleb Williams’ bid to ‘create history’ starts now, and the 1985 Super Bowl team is rooting for him
The first time quarterback Caleb Williams ever spoke publicly about the Bears, months before they drafted him, he said he intended to “create history.”
He knew the Bears’ past, everything from the iconic 1985 championship team to their recent debacles, and recognized his arrival as the No. 1 draft pick would come with enormous expectations to restore their glory. He’d compete not only against his peers, but against the mythology of ’85 and the drought that followed.
It didn’t scare him. He embraced it.
Williams can begin writing his own part of the Bears’ century-long story Saturday against the Packers in his first playoff game. The tumultuous course he traveled over the last two seasons was merely the prologue.
“It’s the start of it,” he said of this game. “Part of it was me getting here and having that mindset throughout and then getting to this point. To continue that mindset, that energy, here in Chicago is important … It starts this weekend.”
As the Bears seek their first playoff win in 15 years and push toward the Super Bowl, the franchise’s legends would love to see it.
There won’t ever be another team like the 1985 Bears. Not here, not elsewhere. It should be celebrated for the spectacular, singular season that it was, but the organization can’t live off that forever. It’s been so long that it's become folklore.
It’s time for something new. Even the authors of that epic tale agree.
“Absolutely,” Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary told the Sun-Times. “I love the ’85 Bears, but it is history. I would be so excited to see these young Bears begin to write a new chapter.
“The old Bears, hey, that was great, outstanding, wonderful, amazing. But it’s time to sing a new song. This next game is going to say a lot about who they really are. And I believe I know who they are, but they’re going to have to show us.”
It’s hard to pin down exactly what these Bears are.
The season has been a revelation under new coach Ben Johnson as they stormed to 11-6, an NFC North crown and the No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC. If the Bears win, they’ll host the Eagles, Rams or Panthers in the divisional round.
Even optimists wouldn’t have gone this far in their predictions — “I thought if they could be 8-9 or 9-8, this would be a good season, and it’s been a real pleasure watching them exceed that,” said Gary Fencik, safety for the ’85 team — and no one could’ve envisioned how they did it.
With Johnson igniting the players and Williams rising in decisive moments, the Bears became the first team ever to win six games in which they trailed in the final two minutes.
Their heroics included Josh Blackwell blocking a field goal to hold off the Raiders, a tremendous kick return by Devin Duvernay that set up a long field goal by Cairo Santos to beat the Vikings and the furious rally from down 10 against the Packers that ended on Williams’ 46-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore in overtime.
The Bears were compelling again after years of trudging.
“That would be the headline of who they are: They keep fighting,” Singletary said. “The quarterback is leading the way, and [he] gives them a slight edge when things get difficult. That’s where you want leadership to come from.”
Hall of Fame defensive lineman Dan Hampton needs to see more growth from Williams, but asked, “Would you trade him for any of the guys in our division? [Expletive] no. The upside of Caleb is huge. He’s going to be everything and more.”
There’s a hint of Jim McMahon in Williams. They’re different talents, but the bravado resonates. They’re both gunslingers. They’re defiant. Their confidence ripples through the team.
Johnson is similarly bold, and his tone is a sharp departure from the mostly mild-mannered coaches who came after Mike Ditka. There’s nothing bland about him as a play caller or personality, and Fencik, unprompted, mentioned, “He almost has a little mini-Ditka in him,” regarding his intensity.
“He’ll never be Ditka — Ditka was a real badass who played in the NFL — but the team takes on the identity of the head coach, and I like that Ben Johnson has a chip on his shoulder,” Hampton said. “Ben Johnson gets an A.”
Fencik connected Johnson’s and Ditka’s approaches, in that “Mike was very consistent in what true north was, and if you weren’t on the bus, you were going to be out pretty quickly. You make sure you’re really clear on what the priorities are and hold people accountable ... and Johnson is not afraid to be honest.”
While the ’85 stars love what they’ve seen so far, they’re also tough graders. Singletary and Fencik raised concerns, but neither was as emphatic as Hampton.
He blasted a defense that has allowed more points (24.4 per game) and yards (361.8) than any other playoff team. He was especially bothered by their defensive line — “These guys are the worst,” he said — and its trouble stopping the run and getting sacks.
“It’s hard to believe they’ve gotten this far without being able to rush the passer,” Hampton said. “I’m sorry, but they’re bad. I don’t know how [defensive coordinator] Dennis Allen sleeps at night knowing this is his d-line.”
It’s harsh, but Hampton has credentials.
Some qualities of his team seem unattainable, and that’s where history is an asset by setting the bar incredibly high and fueling ambition.
The current Bears can’t be the ’85 team, nor should they try. Hampton hoped, instead, that they could do what the ’84 Bears did: They were a breakout team that went 10-6, made it to the NFC Championship Game and, the following season, opened a five-year window of championship contention.
The Bears have craved that ever since. History gets dusty. And heavy. It begs for more chapters to be added so the story advances and captivates anew.