Bear Digest

Ben Johnson's changed tune on Caleb Williams and Green Bay coach

A day after saying Bears QB Caleb Williams and the passing game needed drastic work, Ben Johnson had a bit different view.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson wasn't as critical of his own quarterback on Tuesday, and sounded like one of Matt LaFleur's biggest fans.
Ben Johnson wasn't as critical of his own quarterback on Tuesday, and sounded like one of Matt LaFleur's biggest fans. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

With the Packers looming Sunday at Lambeau Field for the NFC North lead, Ben Johnson doesn't sound like the brash new Bears coach who took over and said on the very first day he liked beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.

In fact, he didn't even sound like the coach who was critical of his own team's passing attack on Monday.

The reversal Tuesday on Caleb Williams seemed a bit more shocking because Johnson had just said a day earlier, "We're winning in spite of our passing game, not because of it. None of us are pleased with that right now.”

However, even in that reference, he didn't pin the blame all on Williams and, instead, cited windy conditions, receivers' routes or footing, as much as his quarterback.

On Tuesday, Williams seemed only about half a step removed from Joe Montana and Tom Brady.

"I think when I made that comment yesterday, it’s easy to construe it as I’m not happy with the quarterback," Johnson said. "That’s not the case whatsoever. He continues to get better each and every week, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how he played last week.  

"I know what the stats say. Throw those out of the window. He’s doing a really good job managing the ballgame. That’s step No. 1 for the quarterback. And so he’s gonna continue to get better. The process is really good right now with how he approaches the week, the way he’s taken the coaching, the way he’s applying the coaching. I’m very pleased with that. I think we’re going to continue to see him ascend, whether the stats tell the story or not."

The best way to interpret this is it's never good for the quarterback to be feeling the coach doesn't have his back going into a game.

As for Johnson and LaFleur, the Bears' coach couldn't have more respect if Green Bay's coach was Vince Lombardi himself.

"Well, he's been doing it for a long time now as well and he's had a lot of success here in this division and in this conference and so it's going to be a big challenge because their offense, they can put points up in bunches."

It seems Johnson is seeing Brett Favre, Bart Starr and Aaron Rodgers combined in Jordan Love.

"Between the quarterback playing at such a high level, extremely accurate, he's willing to face down the barrel and take one in the chin while delivering an accurate ball," Johnson said. "You saw that last week with the game on the line that fourth down, I thought that was one of the better throws I've seen all year long from him.

"And then their wideouts are getting healthy. They've got speed. They're really deep and so you can't just hone in one guy. You've got to be able to cover all of them."

What happened to beating LaFleur twice a year?

Then again it could all be a ruse, one way or the other or all the way around.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.