Following another great regular season for the Lions, Ben Johnson became the hottest commodity in the NFL coaching circles. Teams have been lining up just to get an interview with him, including the likes of the Raiders, Jaguars, etc. However, it seems the Bears won the race as they just announced him as their next head coach. So what does hiring him as the new HC mean for rookie QB, Caleb Williams?
Advertisement
Well, Insiders have an answer to that question. During the latest episode of The Insiders with Tom Pellssero, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Judy Bautista, the NFL Insiders break down the hiring of Johnson by the Bears.
“Ben Johnson taking this job in Chicago means he believes that Caleb Williams can be like those other guys. He believes Caleb Williams can be like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen’s of the world. Certainly, the pedigree is there and now it’s on Johnson to get him there.”
Ben Johnson has shown that he is a reliable play-caller when it comes to the offense. He got the best out of Jared Goff. It’s not a stretch to call him an offensive genius or a savant who can be creative with his calls. We said the same thing about Dave Canales when he was in Tampa, turning the fortunes of Baker Mayfield. However, we also saw what happened when he went to Carolina and there wasn’t any infrastructure.
Canales had to take a lot more responsibility to manage and rebuild the roster. His play-calling did have a positive effect towards the end of the season but will still take some time for the Panthers to become competitive. Johnson too would have a lot on his hands.
Caleb Williams needs a lot of help around him. Having a great roster made life easy for Ben in Detriot but things won’t be the same in Chicago. He needs to keep that in mind along with the fact that the job of head coach is tougher than just being an OC.
Ian Rapoport highlights the challenges coming Johnson’s way as an HC
Being an HC of a franchise seems like a natural progression for a successful coordinator but the job entails more than just fancy play-calling and trick plays. Rapoport pointed out that the Bears wanted someone who could lead the men which Johnson didn’t need because of the aura and bold personality of Dan Campbell. He is the one who sets the tone and calls the shots.
Johnson has yet to prove that and this will be a challenging task but the Bears fans have a reason to be optimistic.
” There is a lot more that goes into being an HC. It’s not just about the cool trick plays. It’s not just about being a good coordinator. One of the things the Bears wanted to hire was the leader of men. It does remain to be seen whether or not Ben Johnson is that. This is going to be a challenge.”
More than effective play-calling which both Eburflus and Waldron weren’t able to provide, Johnson needs to change the culture in Chicago. The Bears don’t have a winning culture like the Panthers. Canales faces a similar hurdle in Carolina and it’s finding out how tough it is to actually accomplish that.
The Bears are one of the poorest run organizations, a revolving door for the QB and Ben needs to change that. This process will take time and Chicago needs to give him that. As for being the leader of men, if he has learned anything from Dan Campbell, he will be that leader.
