But the Coaching Turmoil Might Be Over Now That the Bears Have Hired Ben Johnson.
“Modern football in the NFL is quarterback-driven. That is no secret.” – Ben Johnson
Scott Kacsmar (betus.com) — Fans of the Chicago Bears were so happy after the 2024 NFL draft that their team finally found “The One” in Caleb Williamsafter basically searching for a franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman retired in 1950. The NFL news and predictions in Chicago were so optimistic for a change.
Well, 2024 didn’t go as planned, but new Bears head coach Ben Johnson took the job because he also believes Williams is The One, a role he might be playing up too hard after he showed up to Johnson’s presser dressed like Neo from The Matrix.
I can already hear Wake Upby Rage Against the Machine accompanying the Bears QB out of the building. But Williams said the last 12 months have felt like he was in The Matrix, a nod to the coaching turmoil that plagued his rookie season when the Bears started 4-2 and won one more game the rest of the year.
Look, no one in the NFC North ended up winning a playoff game let alone the 2025 Super Bowl, so they’re all pretty miserable going into the offseason. But the Bears have some hope on their side with Morpheus and Neo Johnson and Williams together.
Ben Johnson Is a Great Hire
Are we really taking the red pill on the Bears again after last year when they lost 10 straight NFL games out of their bye week? You want to give this franchise credit for a great move, and most people had Williams as the No. 1 quarterback in his draft class. Williams spent his rookie 2024 season on an offense ranked 32nd in the NFL with only 284.6 total yards per game.
Then it just so happens that Jayden Daniels, who went No. 2 to Washington, looks like the best rookie ever and is already eyeing a Super Bowl appearance on a roster no one was comparing favorably to Chicago.
But I’m willing to cut the Bears some slack because keeping Matt Eberflus as the coach was an awful decision. Williams showed enough potential as a rookie, and the hiring of Johnson seems like a good fit as he’s a creative mind who coordinated a great offense in Detroit for Jared Goff.
It was Johnson’s presser that sold me on the hire.
“Modern football in the NFL is quarterback-driven,” Johnson said. “That is no secret. You can look at analytics right now, quarterback success is a higher predictor of winning and losing than turnover ratio, which it’s been for 20-plus years.”
He’s right. People are overemphasizing turnovers and “safe” play. In fact, the 2024 Bears lost nine straight games at one point despite Williams never throwing an interception in any of them. The previous NFL record for that was five games. Yet, what good is not throwing picks if you’re not scoring enough points to win games?
The way Johnson said he’ll build his offense with Williams as the foundation is very refreshing to hear. He’s not going to force his playbook on him and expect him to be robotic like Goff. He’s going to create something new with the pieces he has in Chicago, which doesn’t include much of an offensive line yet.
It’s a tough division but show me any NFL betting odds for the 2025 Bears and I’m likely to take the over in wins. I’m ready to see where this rabbit hole goes with Caleb and Johnson.
“We hopped on the phone, and we shared the same excitement for him being the coach here and us be able to grow and go on this journey together,” Williams told ChicagoBears.com. “He has a sense of fire. You can see it in him, which, I would say I have a very similar fire. He has that competitiveness and a sense of no-nonsense.
“He told me that it’ll be my offense,” Williams said. “He’s going to build around me, but also, he’s going to test me. He’s going to challenge me in the offseason and things like that to what’s worked and what works in the NFL and things he may want me to get better at. But at the end of the day, if that doesn’t fit me, if it doesn’t work with me, it won’t be there.”
“There is no question this guy is talented,” Johnson told reporters back on Dec. 20. “I remember standing on the sideline last game, and just, you can hear the ball whistle by you. He’s got quite a fastball, and has some creativity to him, can extend plays, and is accurate down the field as well.”
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The culture of both the bears and the division they play in was the big challenge for Caleb. Physical play in both categories are responsible? The black & blue division in the NFL is well known. The bears & Lions always fed the monster playing tough nosed defense and little else. Caleb will never be another Jim McMahon. How quickly can the bears turn itself into a more finesse team with a scrambler QB will be interesting if it’s going to work with Caleb as QB. The last time we saw this attempt was decades ago with Fran Tarkington and… Read more »
Ben Johnson has already indicated he will go to great lengths to develop the Bears running game, especially because QBs benefit so greatly from a complimentary ground attack.
Reggie Bush has sued USC, seeking compensation for his name, image and likeness when he played 20 years ago. He even demanded that USC pay his attorney fees.
Now he says he would like to be USC’s future head coach. “I would love to come back and be the head coach of USC at some point and help lead USC to a national championship,”
Just bizarre.
Maybe Reggie can suddenly hitch up as a first-time asst at any level with his old coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas.
Perhaps a phone call to Primetime would do Reggie good!
Raiders hiring former Seahawks/USC HC Pete Carroll as next head coach NFL.com — Las Vegas is bringing in a Super Bowl-winning head coach to lead the Raiders. It’s a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option. The team has informed other head-coaching candidates that Pete Carroll will be hired as the next Raiders head coach, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Friday, per sources. Carroll will return to the sidelines in 2025 following a one-year hiatus. The 73-year-old coach previously spent 14 seasons in Seattle, leading the Seahawks to a win in Super Bowl XLVIII, the only… Read more »
With Bill Bilichek taking the UNC job I was hoping it would wet PC’s appetite coming back to CFB. And if he hadn’t gotten the Vegas gig, he might have given up the hope the NFL was still a possibility for him. But he’s in and probably his last coaching job. Funny, for how long had we heard the Commissioner would never permit Las Vegas to host the Super Bowl but that doesn’t sway CFB having their championship played there. Is everyone crossing their fingers & toes on what’s going to happen on NSD for USC?
I can already hear 
“We hopped on the phone, and we shared the same excitement for him being the coach here and us be able to grow and go on this journey together,” 
The culture of both the bears and the division they play in was the big challenge for Caleb. Physical play in both categories are responsible? The black & blue division in the NFL is well known. The bears & Lions always fed the monster playing tough nosed defense and little else. Caleb will never be another Jim McMahon. How quickly can the bears turn itself into a more finesse team with a scrambler QB will be interesting if it’s going to work with Caleb as QB. The last time we saw this attempt was decades ago with Fran Tarkington and… Read more »
Ben Johnson has already indicated he will go to great lengths to develop the Bears running game, especially because QBs benefit so greatly from a complimentary ground attack.
What?! I never heard of such an idea! 😉
Bring it West!
The Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium was named Friday as the host venue for the 2026 CFB Playoff National Championship Game on Jan. 25, 2027.
That game will mark the first time the CFP title game has been held in Las Vegas
Reggie Bush has sued USC, seeking compensation for his name, image and likeness when he played 20 years ago. He even demanded that USC pay his attorney fees.
Now he says he would like to be USC’s future head coach. “I would love to come back and be the head coach of USC at some point and help lead USC to a national championship,”
Just bizarre.
Maybe Reggie can suddenly hitch up as a first-time asst at any level with his old coach Pete Carroll in Las Vegas.
Perhaps a phone call to Primetime would do Reggie good!
Raiders hiring former Seahawks/USC HC Pete Carroll as next head coach NFL.com — Las Vegas is bringing in a Super Bowl-winning head coach to lead the Raiders. It’s a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option. The team has informed other head-coaching candidates that Pete Carroll will be hired as the next Raiders head coach, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Friday, per sources. Carroll will return to the sidelines in 2025 following a one-year hiatus. The 73-year-old coach previously spent 14 seasons in Seattle, leading the Seahawks to a win in Super Bowl XLVIII, the only… Read more »
With Bill Bilichek taking the UNC job I was hoping it would wet PC’s appetite coming back to CFB. And if he hadn’t gotten the Vegas gig, he might have given up the hope the NFL was still a possibility for him. But he’s in and probably his last coaching job. Funny, for how long had we heard the Commissioner would never permit Las Vegas to host the Super Bowl but that doesn’t sway CFB having their championship played there. Is everyone crossing their fingers & toes on what’s going to happen on NSD for USC?
Belichick only took the UNC job because he was forced to. The NFL completely turned its back on him.
Carroll nailed what Belichick would have loved to get.