Bear Digest

Where Ben Johnson lays blame for Caleb Williams' passing-game rut

The downward turn in Caleb Williams' passing numbers is not unforeseen, according to the Bears' coach as the team heads into a crucial game with Cleveland.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams looks for an open receiver late in Sunday's loss to Green Bay.
Caleb Williams looks for an open receiver late in Sunday's loss to Green Bay. | Tork Mason-USA TODAY Network via

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Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson offered up an explanation Friday for what has happened to Caleb Williams' passing statistics and the declining passing game.

The stubborn as well as the anti-Williams crowd won't want to hear it.

The advancement of the running game and techniques Johnson uses to make that effective have taken a toll on Williams and the passing game.

"There’s a lot of thinking going on for him right now," Johnson said of Williams. "I was talking with the TV crew (Fox broadcasters) yesterday about this—since the bye week we’ve kind of, I don’t wanna say taken the training wheels off, but to a degree we’ve opened up with all these shifts and motions. We have more motions than we did the first four games.

"When that happens he’s thinking a lot about, making sure he’s checking off all the boxes he’s gotta check off before the snap. Because of that the post-snap play suffers a little bit."

Williams has hit 60% completions only once in 10 games and that was the loss at Baltimore. Johnson instituted changes in the offense after four games, during the bye, as he sought to have a more consistent rushing attack. So the motion and other changes have been going on for nine games.

Before the changes, Williams had completion percentages of 60%, 63.3%, 67.9% and 59.5% in four games. There is a positive side to it all or Johnson wouldn't have done it.

"I also believe it’s also a big reason why we’re having some success in the running game and bringing some of that stuff to life as well," Johnson said. "It’s something that we’re gonna continue to work through. I think each week you continue to see improvement to where the post-snap play of our quarterback is getting better.

"And so there’s some of those that you look at it and he says, ‘Man I gotta hit that.’ There are other ones that are gonna be challenging throws that he makes and it’s like, 'Holy cow. We’re gonna get there.' I’m not worried about that aspect of it. It’s just a matter of time."

The logical step would be cut back on the motion with Williams struggling, but that's not the best option for Johnson.

"The most important thing for us is finding ways to win games," Johnson said. "That’s the key each and every week. We’re gonna do whatever we need to do to win that game that week.

"He’s gonna continue to get more comfortable within this offense the longer he’s a part of it. So whether that’s a lot of shifts and motions, whether that’s completely static during the course of the game, to me that doesn’t really matter. He’s gonna continue to develop and he’s going to be in a good spot."

As Williams gets a better grasp on every offensive intricacy, everything should flow more easily.

To Johnson, it comes down to having a more efficient and predictable passing game now or winning games the best way he sees possible at this point and then also in the future with an offense nearly impossible to stop.

It doesn’t seem like a choice as much as a plan.

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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.