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Bear Digest

Even Planning Genius Ben Johnson Appreciates One More Random Bears Weapon

The running skills Caleb Williams has displayed can be just as valuable as his passing, particularly against the gambling Minnesota Vikings defense.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams runs the ball near the goal line last year at Soldier Field against Minnesota.
Caleb Williams runs the ball near the goal line last year at Soldier Field against Minnesota. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

Beating the Minnesota Vikings and Brian Flores' defense is going to require Caleb Williams using everything he has at his disposal.

It's not just his arm, but his running ability will also be critical. It's here where his 10-15 pounds of lost weight seemingly made a difference last week, as he gained 65 critical yards rushing to help set up the easy fourth quarter the Bears enjoyed.

"I'm moving well, feeling well, joints and things like that," Williams said. "I know I sound like I'm old when I'm young. But when you start packing on a little weight, it gets a little rough.

"Like I said, I feel good, feel slim, feel smooth in my movement. And I want to keep that up throughout this part.”

Ben Johnson came to the Bears as coach after working with a traditional pocket passer, but it didn't take long for him to adjust. With this came the realization he can get more done if he has a failsafe in Williams' legs.

"They did a pretty good job covering everybody, and he was able to find a little space and he took off," Johnson said. "He was decisive. He's really fast. I don't know if he gets enough credit for how fast he truly is.

"It's one of those things that we may or may not lean into by the play call. It might just be organically that it happens like that. We trust them to know when those times are. But we think it's really, really dangerous for our offense.”

An added dimension

It can be particularly dangerous if judiciously used against the Vikings.

With a blitzing defense, Minnesota can leave itself exposed at times and a quarterback who scrambles out of the pocket against that rush or finds ways to turn it upfield without getting too wide can uncover plenty of open space. This is especially the case if the targets are downfield, the way they were last week for the Bears against the Panthers.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love did exactly what he needed to do as a passer last week to beat Minnesota. He threw downfield with an 11.5-yard average distance to target, but two things hurt them immensely. They turned the ball over twice while Minnesota had only one turnover, and Love never gained a yard rushing on a day when the Packers couldn't run the ball at all beyond the QB.

The Bears are going to need the ball downfield for targets in the passing game. They averaged 11.5 yards per target last year in their win over the Vikings, only 8.98 in their loss to the Vikings. But they'll also need the yards Williams gained rushing last week, or some of them. Minnesota's run defense allows no operating room for a conventional running game but a few extra yards from a running QB moves the chains, too. It allows for more plays and more chances to torch Flores' gambling scheme.

"In terms of Caleb, hopefully we can bring this dynamic with us each and every week," Johnson said of the scrambling yards.

The key is Williams doing this and staying free from injury, then delivering the ball upfield with his legs or arm.

Johnson didn't have the luxury of this weapon coaching in Detroit, but found it can provide another way to burn Flores' defense. Time has shown there's not much Johnson can't do with any type of offensive weapon.

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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.

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