With 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a 142.6 rating, Caleb Williams had a field day against the Dallas Cowboys in Chicago. He justified all the hype in the 2024 NFL Draft. Notably, Caleb’s performance had a mix of his signature long throws and an aggressive running game. It highlighted Ben Johnson’s direct involvement in mentoring the QB.
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Following the Bears’ 31-14 win, Tom Brady proudly announced on Fox that Caleb Williams is his LFG player of the game. It was a confidence booster for the young QB. Earlier, he was criticized by fans for the off-field matters, including painting his nails.
In the post game show, an excited Brady was asked about how Caleb can further adapt to Johnson’s style – as they both have a lot of dissimilarities in playing style. For Brady, the answer was simple. It was to just “watch and learn”.
If that was not enough, Brady narrated his own personal example to detail why sitting as a backup matters to succeed in the NFL.
“We can use Brett Favre as an example. Aaron Rodgers got to watch behind him. Then Jordan Love got to watch behind Aaron Rodgers. Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes. That dynamic,” Brady said, before looking back at his Patriots days. “I got to watch Drew Bledsoe for a year. It was great for me. I could learn so much just by observing things I like and I thought was, okay this is what I could do differently if I ever get a shot.”
Unfortunately, Caleb never really got the opportunity to sit behind a veteran QB. He was immediately picked as the Bears’ QB 1 last year. He had a passer rating of 87.8 with 3541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in 17 games in his rookie season. But the 5-12 result of the Bears put high pressure on Caleb. And the front office helped to ease his burden by appointing Ben Johnson as the head coach.
Meanwhile, Caleb, who completed 210 yards against the Vikings and 207 yards against the Giants, saw his TD production leap from 1 to 2 and then to 4 in the third game this season. It again signals a hallmark of Ben Johnson, under whom Jared Goff scored more TDs, even when it meant less passing yards and a few interceptions.
Looking at the rapid progress, Brady had a perfect action plan on how the Bears’ HC can mentor Caleb. “Its kind of spoonfeeding a different kinds of offenses that Caleb hasn’t really run,” Brady stated. He also detailed the difference in the playstyle of Caleb and Johnson. “Caleb in college didn’t huddle. He didn’t motion. There was a lot of things that are very stationary in offense. That is the hallmark of Ben Johnson’s offense. A lot of multiplicity, a lot of different formation variations. He’s got to layer that information every week.”
Another factor that works in Caleb and Johnson’s favor is the age gap. At 39, Johnson is someone who is a young head coach, and for a Gen-Z QB like Caleb, the presence of a younger head coach is good for building a personal equation. Bears fans will get a close chance to witness their dynamic during the face-off against the Raiders (with Brady as the minority owner) on September 28.
