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The Chicago Bears might not be playing in the big game on Sunday, but they've been all the talk at Super Bowl 60 in San Francisco, where there's plenty of buzz surrounding head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.
In their first year together, Chicago went from worst to first in one of the league's best divisions, posting an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North title and earning the franchise's first postseason win in 15 years. The Bears won an NFL-record seven fourth-quarter comebacks with Williams setting the franchise's single-season passing record and Johnson garnering a nomination for Coach of the Year.
And that's just in Year 1. While Chicago ultimately fell short of their Super Bowl goal, it's clear that the future is bright. And that's been a big takeaway this week at the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl Games. Here's a look at what everyone's been saying about Johnson and Williams, where it's clear they're expecting big things from the Bears next season and beyond.
“I thought Caleb made some big-time improvements,” NBC analyst Tony Dungy told CHGO. “And I think he’s still got a little ways to go. He’s making the spectacular plays, and I think Ben is getting him to make those ordinary plays more consistently. And when he does that – and he’s making those ordinary plays at a 90 percent pitch – and then can give you that fourth-down unbelievable rainbow, then he is going to be unstoppable.”
“We have amazing quarterbacks in the league who thrive and live off of these moments, like (Matthew) Stafford, who comes back down the field in overtime and has a great drive (against the Bears),” NBC broadcaster Mike Tirico told CHGO. “Like Patrick Mahomes, who has done it so often, and Josh Allen. I think in no sport has that differentiation point become more severe than if you got a guy who can do it or you don’t have a guy who can do it. And the fact that Bears have one who’s done it in almost record fashion this year was really cool and bodes well for the future.”
“He’s a psycho – and all good coaches are psychos,” NBC analyst Chris Simms told CHGO. “(Kyle) Shanahan is a psycho. (Sean) McVay is psycho. (Mike) Vrabel’s a psycho. (Bill) Belichick was psycho. Bill Walsh was a psycho. Bill Parcells was a psycho. You got to be a psycho. Period. I think you guys see that in the press conferences. And I mean psycho in a good way. It’s all about football. It’s all about pushing buttons to be better at football.”
“The easy thing to do is to look at it and go, ‘All right. You expect something out of Caleb that we haven’t seen.’ Right?” NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth told CHGO. “But it’s like, ‘How many more times can it happen?’ I go, ‘Come on. It just can’t keep happening.’ And then he started backpedaling and ran 30 yards backwards and turned around and threw it straight up in the air. And it was game on again. There are some people that have that pixie dust, that have the ability to create something special.”
“(Williams is) a badass,” former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher told the Sun-Times. “When things go bad, he’s at his best. When (stuff) breaks down, that dude shows up. He can make every throw, just like he said. “I was just so impressed. Unbelievable, and I’m so excited for the future. He could be there the next 20 years. He should be.”
“The hardest thing to do, I think, in this league is get the quarterback and the head coach right,” Bears safety Kevin Byard told the “Hoge & Jahns” podcast. “And I think that’s something that Chicago has. So I think that window is going to be open for as long as it needs to be. So, obviously, I would love to come back and play for the Bears.”
“What a combination,” Bears left guard Joe Thuney told CHGO. “Just so excited for things to come.”
“Just seeing them come together,” Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright told CHGO, “a great mind and a great quarterback – someone who can do practically everything on the field – they’re definitely going to be a pretty unstoppable coach-quarterback duo.”
“The hours that everybody puts in the building, but in particular, Ben and Caleb, it’s awesome to see it rewarded,” Bears center Drew Dalman told CHGO. “And then also, it’s really good to just see that chemistry and that confidence in the huddle and the execution of the plays. I feel super fortunate to be coached by Ben and to play with Caleb.”
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams have been talk of Super Bowl week
Continue reading...
In their first year together, Chicago went from worst to first in one of the league's best divisions, posting an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North title and earning the franchise's first postseason win in 15 years. The Bears won an NFL-record seven fourth-quarter comebacks with Williams setting the franchise's single-season passing record and Johnson garnering a nomination for Coach of the Year.
And that's just in Year 1. While Chicago ultimately fell short of their Super Bowl goal, it's clear that the future is bright. And that's been a big takeaway this week at the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl Games. Here's a look at what everyone's been saying about Johnson and Williams, where it's clear they're expecting big things from the Bears next season and beyond.
Tony Dungy
“I thought Caleb made some big-time improvements,” NBC analyst Tony Dungy told CHGO. “And I think he’s still got a little ways to go. He’s making the spectacular plays, and I think Ben is getting him to make those ordinary plays more consistently. And when he does that – and he’s making those ordinary plays at a 90 percent pitch – and then can give you that fourth-down unbelievable rainbow, then he is going to be unstoppable.”
Mike Tirico
“We have amazing quarterbacks in the league who thrive and live off of these moments, like (Matthew) Stafford, who comes back down the field in overtime and has a great drive (against the Bears),” NBC broadcaster Mike Tirico told CHGO. “Like Patrick Mahomes, who has done it so often, and Josh Allen. I think in no sport has that differentiation point become more severe than if you got a guy who can do it or you don’t have a guy who can do it. And the fact that Bears have one who’s done it in almost record fashion this year was really cool and bodes well for the future.”
Chris Simms
“He’s a psycho – and all good coaches are psychos,” NBC analyst Chris Simms told CHGO. “(Kyle) Shanahan is a psycho. (Sean) McVay is psycho. (Mike) Vrabel’s a psycho. (Bill) Belichick was psycho. Bill Walsh was a psycho. Bill Parcells was a psycho. You got to be a psycho. Period. I think you guys see that in the press conferences. And I mean psycho in a good way. It’s all about football. It’s all about pushing buttons to be better at football.”
Cris Collinsworth
“The easy thing to do is to look at it and go, ‘All right. You expect something out of Caleb that we haven’t seen.’ Right?” NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth told CHGO. “But it’s like, ‘How many more times can it happen?’ I go, ‘Come on. It just can’t keep happening.’ And then he started backpedaling and ran 30 yards backwards and turned around and threw it straight up in the air. And it was game on again. There are some people that have that pixie dust, that have the ability to create something special.”
Brian Urlacher
“(Williams is) a badass,” former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher told the Sun-Times. “When things go bad, he’s at his best. When (stuff) breaks down, that dude shows up. He can make every throw, just like he said. “I was just so impressed. Unbelievable, and I’m so excited for the future. He could be there the next 20 years. He should be.”
Kevin Byard
“The hardest thing to do, I think, in this league is get the quarterback and the head coach right,” Bears safety Kevin Byard told the “Hoge & Jahns” podcast. “And I think that’s something that Chicago has. So I think that window is going to be open for as long as it needs to be. So, obviously, I would love to come back and play for the Bears.”
Joe Thuney
“What a combination,” Bears left guard Joe Thuney told CHGO. “Just so excited for things to come.”
Nahshon Wright
“Just seeing them come together,” Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright told CHGO, “a great mind and a great quarterback – someone who can do practically everything on the field – they’re definitely going to be a pretty unstoppable coach-quarterback duo.”
Drew Dalman
“The hours that everybody puts in the building, but in particular, Ben and Caleb, it’s awesome to see it rewarded,” Bears center Drew Dalman told CHGO. “And then also, it’s really good to just see that chemistry and that confidence in the huddle and the execution of the plays. I feel super fortunate to be coached by Ben and to play with Caleb.”
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams have been talk of Super Bowl week
Continue reading...
