When Caleb Williams came to Chicago as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, I wondered in print whether his considerable talents would make him Bears-proof. Was he so good that not even this clumsy franchise could ruin him? Given the Bears’ struggles and screwups the previous four decades, it was a bold, naive question.
Williams’ up-and-down 2024 season offered a definitive answer: Of course the Bears could mess the kid up. Not all the way, but they could bring him uncomfortably close to the edge of lasting damage.
Now they’ve landed the man considered by many to be the No. 1 head coaching candidate this year. They unveiled Ben Johnson as their new head coach Wednesday, with the hope that he can do for them what he did for the Lions as their offensive coordinator. Detroit finished first in points and second in passing yards this season.
And just like, the boldness and naivete returned, unbidden. A Johnson-Williams collaboration — might that be Bears-proof?
Why do I keep testing the dark forces?
Possibly because this time feels different, and not because of Johnson’s football wonkiness. Introductory press conferences are a drug if you want them to be, and many Bears fans anticipated this one with medicine cup in hand and tongue out. Johnson sounded confident and in charge. He sounded like a no-nonsense-guy walking through the rubble of past nonsense. He hit most of the right notes without having any sheet music in front of him.
He’s not Matt Eberflus and John Fox, former Bears coaches who spoke but never said anything of substance. He’s not Marc Trestman, who seemed as surprised as anyone to be named the Bears head coach.
I’m not erecting a very high bar here, am I?
OK, Johnson sounded like a boss, or at least a boss-in-training. It’s been a while since the Bears have had one of those.
My B.S. meter didn’t move until Johnson started talking about how gifted the 2024 team was.
“This roster is absolutely loaded with talent,’’ he said.
You mean the roster that went 5-12 and had a 10-game losing streak?
One of three things is possible: 1) Johnson is insane 2) Johnson is sucking up to general manager Ryan Poles, the architect of this roster or 3) Poles was sabotaged by Eberflus and his players more than any GM has ever been sabotaged by a team.
Eberflus’ shortcomings cropped up during Wednesday’s press conference, whether Johnson intended it or not.
“My core values really rest on work ethic, selflessness and poise,’’ he said. “I expect that to be embodied within this team.’’
The Bears’ 2024 values seemed to be embodied in Tyrique Stevenson’s decision to taunt Commanders fans while a Hail Mary pass was in the air, costing his team the game. An egregious sin, yet Eberflus benched him for just the first two drives the following game.
Johnson can coordinate an offense, but can he coach a football team? It’s the question at the heart of everything. A coordinator commands a film room. A head coach commands men.
After the Bears fired Mike Ditka following the 1992 season, they hired Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt. He was considered the top coaching candidate in the league. The Bears were applauded for splitting the atom. In six seasons in Chicago, he went 40-56 and was canned after back-to-back 4-12 seasons. More often than not, that’s how it goes in the NFL.
“I know that a lot of coordinators have failed in this role,’’ Johnson said. “Here’s what I’d tell you: Every step of my journey, whether it was quality control, whether it was position coach, whether it was coordinator, I found a way to change myself to be the best in that particular job. And so now that the job requirements are changing and I’m no longer just coaching an offensive player or an offensive unit, this is the entire team. The good news is, I am a football coach. I will be able to change and adjust accordingly.’’
Johnson said the offense will be “calibrated’’ with Williams in mind. The coach has degrees in math and computer science, but you don’t need to be a genius to understand that a quarterback can’t be all he’s supposed to be if he’s under constant pressure from slobbering defensive linemen. One plus one equals fix the offensive line, Ben.
Johnson said he’ll talk with Williams soon about what he’s seen in the quarterback’s play that needs improvement or change. Chicago screams in unison: Get him to stop holding onto the ball for so long!
For those of you who have questioned some of Poles’ personnel choices: Johnson said he and Poles will be “locked at the hip and connected every step of the way with all the decisions that are made.’’ That will be good news only if Johnson can identify talent. Another unanswered question.
Johnson had options. Other teams were interested in him as a head coach. He chose the Bears for various reasons. Only one makes sense.
“Having a quarterback helps,’’ he said.
