Bear Digest

Ryan Poles urges Bears fans worried about Caleb William to relax

Sounding a bit like Aaron Rodgers trying to calm down panicky Packers fans, the Bears GM explained why the team's QB is going through rocky times in Ben Johnson's attack.
Gene Chamberlain|
It has been anything but fun and games for Caleb Williams at training camp as Ben Johnson constantly challenges him, says Ryan Poles.
It has been anything but fun and games for Caleb Williams at training camp as Ben Johnson constantly challenges him, says Ryan Poles. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Overloading, drinking through the firehose or throwing something at the wall to see what sticks have all been use as cliche phrases to detail what has been going on with the way Ben Johnson has chosen to bring quarterback Caleb Williams into the role of Bears offensive leader.

GM Ryan Poles, in an interview with team flagship station ESPN AM-1000, has another, more simple way to describe the process, and maintains Williams is where he needs to be right now in the developmental process. In fact, it would be accurate to say Poles doubled down on his support of the QB he drafted last year No. 1 overall largely because of how the coach he hired is handling it.

"I see a ton of growth," Poles told Marc Silverman and Carmen DeFalco on AM-1000. "Ben has been hard on the quarterback position. There's a lot that rides on the quarterback's shoulders. So what he's (Johnson) doing is he's making it hard now, so when we get to games things slow down for us.

"He understands the growth and development process of the quarterback position. There's going to be days that are really good and there's going to be days where maybe you take a step back."

Of course Poles put his money down on the Williams square.

Obviously he must, since he drafted the Bears QB. But to hear him explain why at least provides a lifeline for panic-stricken fans who overreacted to Williams getting upset in practice about an inability to be as accurate throwing into a net as he wanted. There are lots of throws to nets and to receivers when he isn't upset, far more than when he is.

"I've seen growth," Poles said. "I think the few practices before we went down to Soldier were the best practices that I've been a part of since I've been in Chicago.

"So there is growth happening. Weve just got to keep putting the foot on the gas."

Probably the main reason Poles says he has confidence in Williams now is Johnson, because in the same interview he voiced incredible confidence in the coach he hired as an overall leader.

"So he constantly challenges Caleb," Poles said. "They have a great relationship. Again, there's no gray. It's black and white. And they speak the truth and that's it.

"And I think that's why we're seeing growth from him but that's also where we're gong to see, there's going to be days like coach talked about down at Family Fest."

Family Fest wasn't a total disaster for Williams personally but the offense as a whole looked flawed and the Bears QB struggle at times directing it more than he struggled passing.

Poles went back to the familiar place many GMs will go when they see their coach's creation slow to start.

"So no the defense is usually ahead of the offense when you get started here," Poles said. "There's  scheme being put in. At the same time I think Dennis (Allen) and the defensive side, like I said, defense ahead of the offense, press man, small (receiver) windows, ton of pressure—that is hard to do (for a QB) while you're learning and trying to understand everything in this new system."

Poles built up another wall around his QB by pointing out the offense's requirements are different than Williams negotiated at USC.

"The piece that Caleb has you can't coach," Poles maintained. "I and I think to win a championship you've got to have that killer instinct. You've got to be able to do special to get you over the hump.

"Now the foundational piece, the operation, understanding coverages, that's where we've got to get to in this new system and that part he just didn't do as much of in college. So he's got to hit that part and continue to grow and develop and pour his time and energy into that with Ben. And if we close the gap there you pair that up with the things you can't coach, and special things can happen."

It's an overly optimistic, positive outlook you'd expect from the GM about a player who he has gambled is career with, but it doesn't mean he's lying about the entire picture.

The only way Poles is going to succeed is by mastering Johnson's offense and as the Bears coach keeps reminding, it's not a linear development. It looks more like a stock chart with ups and downs.

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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.