Ben Johnson was less than thrilled with the Chicago Bears’ offense Friday in their preseason victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, 29-27. The first-year head coach criticized his first-unit, calling out their “bad ballhandling” in the opening drive, a direct jab at Caleb Williams.
The sophomore quarterback and former USC Trojan went 11-for-15 on pass attempts and threw for 113 yards with a touchdown Friday, plus he took two carries for 18 yards.
Publicly critiquing the first-string quarterback is a move some coaches caution strongly against, especially Alabama legend Nick Saban, who advised former Bears’ head coach Matt Eberflus against doing so in an episode of Hard Knocks last year.
Chicago Bears ESPN reporter Courtney Cronin referenced the conversation between the pair on Monday’s episode of the outlet’s “Unsportsmanlike” podcast. Cronin recalled Saban’s comments didn’t “sit well in hindsight” with Bears’ personnel.
“You can't let this guy be on a pedestal when he's not performing at the level he needs to be,” Cronin explained. “So for Ben to come in and publicly air it out, in a lot of ways, there is a method to it.”
Cronin noted Johnson sending Williams back out for the final drive was a smart move on the coach’s part, one she thinks was purposeful.
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“There was a moment in Friday's game, Caleb hands his helmet to an equipment guy,” Cronin said. “It looked like, ‘oh, after three series, he's done,’ okay, well, not really leaving with a great taste in your mouth… but Ben sends him back out there for the final drive, which he gets to lead a two minute drill on. That's your coach doing right by you. That's your coach instilling confidence in you.”
The Bears’ reporter also pointed out the significance of Johnson operating this way with a player like Williams:
“You got to give Ben Johnson credit for sticking to that with somebody who is supposed to be this generational talent, and him trying to get him there, knowing that overloading him, challenging him in the process, is the only way to do that,” Cronin said.