"Communicated clearly what the expectations were and Caleb was all-in for it, and that's what he was looking for. It's one thing to say it, but then when we got on the practice field, you could see that come alive. If it wasn't done the right way, we were going to do it again. We were in our exit meetings, Caleb was kind of laughing about it, doing a long-drive drill and starting it over five times."
"Firstly, Poles reiterating that Bears quarterback Caleb Williams wanted the tough love coaching that Ben Johnson was giving him. We've come a long way since bad-faith narrators trying to spin a narrative about Chicago's QB1 not being coachable. Secondly, the takeaway that accountability was something that wasn't just a buzzword for Johnson - which is evident with the anecdote about starting over a long-drive drill five times to get it right."
Ben Johnson established clear expectations and enforced accountability across the Chicago Bears, producing visible growth in quarterback Caleb Williams. Ryan Poles described Williams embracing Johnson's tough-love approach and repeatedly restarting a long-drive drill until executed correctly. The practice-field enforcement of standards translated into improved technique and a stronger mindset for Williams. Earlier doubts about Williams' coachability were contradicted by his receptiveness to demanding coaching. The insistence on precision and repetition under Johnson contributed to Williams' development and helps explain part of his record-setting 2025 performance.
Read at Bleacher Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]