From 'fragile' to 'monumental': Bears coach Ben Johnson has taken QB Caleb WIlliams' confidence to new level
Imagine the confidence of Caleb Williams when at 23 he strode into one of the most high-pressure jobs, new quarterback of the beloved and beleaguered Bears, with a smile on his face.
The No. 1 draft pick showed up for his first day at Halas Hall a year and a half ago in a black suit with a $75,000 watch on his wrist and told everyone to bring on the expectations. He planned on immediate greatness, having a lot of laughs and winning a ton.
It certainly didn’t start that way, but he had everything he wanted Saturday night as madness broke out at Soldier Field.
Williams did the seemingly impossible by leading the Bears to a 31-27 win over the Packers for their first playoff victory since 2011, once again pulling them from the brink of defeat with a frenzied rally and throwing for a franchise postseason-record 361 yards.
Next up, an even bigger game in the divisional round. The Bears will host the Rams in the divisional round.
For all the swagger with which he arrived, it’s at a new level now. Bears coach Ben Johnson has given him the tools he needs to thrive and amplified his attitude with his own relentless belief.
“Our trust and our bond has grown, so when you have that trust and you’ve got somebody that has your back, the confidence goes through the roof,” Williams said. “Then you have such belief in his play-calling and your team, the confidence goes through the roof. You have these meetings with him and... you go out there and hit these plays, the confidence just keeps growing.”
That process began with Johnson taking a jackhammer to everything Williams thought he knew about playing quarterback. He said little to none of what he learned as a rookie would be useful and that they’d be starting from scratch.
It was grueling, so much so that Williams thought at times Johnson disliked him because of the constant critiques. Johnson didn’t give him an inch. He laid out the framework of what a franchise quarterback should be and won’t let up until he lives up to it.
Upending the Packers rivalry by knocking them out of the playoffs is a major step toward that goal, and Williams celebrated by grating actual cheese with teammates on the Prime Video post-game show. If that wasn’t a strong enough message to the Packers, he spoke directly to them shortly afterward.
“We're here and we're going to be here for a while,” Williams said. “[I’ll] be here with Coach, win a bunch of games, be in these moments, come out victorious.”
As Williams has developed, so has his relationship with Johnson. He recently said it felt “fragile” at points, but it’s sturdy now. Johnson earned Williams’ trust with his expertise, and Williams earned his respect by working hard.
After the Packers game, when Johnson tried to give Williams a game ball for his performance in rallying the team from an early 21-3 hole and a 27-16 deficit in the final minutes, Williams turned it around on him.
“I want to keep this [stuff] going — we have to [bleeping] get better,” he said, sounding a lot like Johnson.
He wrapped up his speech, turned around, then abruptly turned back.
“I’ve got one more thing,” he said, then pointed to Johnson. “Look at this guy right here. Everything he’s done for us… And for me personally, he’s been...”
Williams choked up and had to pause.
“... Monumental in my life,” he continued.
He was still struggling. He credited Johnson for his first playoff win, then flipped the game ball back to him and hugged him.
That’s how far this has come. It’s the coach-quarterback connection the Bears have wanted for decades, but couldn’t find. Everything finally fits, and Williams and Johnson have built the foundation for something even bigger.