The more Bears quarterback Caleb Williams explains how much he has learned from new coach Ben Johnson over the last seven-plus months, the clearer it is how little he was taught as a rookie.
He mastered the college game during a marvelous run at USC, winning the Heisman Trophy, but the talent advantage played a big part in that. He didn’t need to be a polished technician to pile up numbers against Nevada and San Jose State.
But when he reached the NFL, where it takes more than just talent to succeed, the onset of his career was entrusted to Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron. When Williams mentions things he didn’t know as a rookie, those guys were supposed to teach them to him.
An offseason and preseason with Johnson have been like grad school for Williams, and that will continue for the rest of this season, if not longer. Heading into the opener Monday against the Vikings, he already feels like his mind is miles ahead of where it was at any point last season.
“Knowledge of football has grown even just sitting in some of the meetings this year... and just understanding things I may not have understood last year,” Williams said Wednesday. “Whether it’s just scheme in offense or defense, I’ve taken a step there. I have to keep taking those steps throughout this year and many years from now.
“Ben been great for me. He has pushed me. He’s a teacher and he will be persistent until you get it.”
This season will be a test of both professor and pupil.
Williams had never hit a rough patch like he did last season, when he lost more games with the Bears (12) than he did over three seasons in college (10) and was up and down in his development. Statistically, he finished the season as a middling quarterback, ranking between 10th and 24th in passer rating, yardage, touchdown passes and fewest interceptions, and that was far below both his expectations and the hype that came with being the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Johnson, meanwhile, has never worked with such raw material. His biggest success to date was elevating Lions quarterback Jared Goff, but when Johnson got ahold of him, Goff was already five seasons in, made two Pro Bowls and went to Super Bowl while learning under coach Sean McVay.
Johnson acknowledged Wednesday there is “a giant unknown” of how Williams will transfer everything he’s been learning in practice to the game against the Vikings.
Some of that uncertainty comes from there being minimal relevant history. Johnson has said he essentially started from scratch with Williams and that little to none of how he was coached last season is applicable.
“He’s a sponge right now,” Johnson said. “He was in my office a couple days ago and we watched a couple of games together. The entire time, anything I would say, he was jotting it down in his notebook. That’s an encouraging thing.”
Williams came out of last season pleading with the Bears to hire someone with expertise who would coach him hard and deliver much-needed correction. He told the Sun-Times that Johnson earned his trust when he saw coaching points in meeting rooms materialize on the practice field and that “the consistent hard coaching, the consistent knowledge that he gives me” is what he craved as a rookie.
The reality is they’re both doing a lot of learning. Johnson is a first-time head coach at 39 and had just three years’ experience as an offensive coordinator. Relatively speaking, he’s at a similar stage in his career as Williams.
“We’re going to grow together,” Johnson said. “There will be some bumpy steps along the way, but that’s OK. That’s the nature of doing it.
“I feel really good about where he’s at right now, and there’s no reason why we can’t win this year.”