Windy City Gridiron
And a new era begins for the Chicago Bears
At his postseason press conference, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was asked what he hoped their new head coach would bring to the table, and he said he wanted a coach who would push him.
“I would say just challenge me,” Williams said via PFT. “Whether it’s pulling me aside and saying whatever — having talks consistently. Maybe having a list of things we want to accomplish, myself first — that helps the team. From there, help find ways to set goals. However it might work out, just challenge. Find ways to help better myself and better the team. Really excited about that.”
Williams didn’t always get the hard coaching he needed as a rookie.
It was reported that 2024 offensive coordinator Shane Waldron took a laid-back approach, which clearly caused some of the details to slip. Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen said Waldron was “too nice” and that the players weren’t always held accountable.
Head coach Matt Eberflus also had an accountability problem, as evidenced by his several postgame explanations after losses.
That’s not a good environment for a rookie quarterback, let alone one who strives for greatness. Despite the ineptness around him, he was still able to put together one of the better seasons as a passer in team history.
Last week, Williams was a guest on the St. Brown Brothers Podcast, and Detroit Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown asked him what he wanted in a new head coach.
Besides saying he “selfishly” wanted an offensive guy to learn from and grow with, he also said he wanted a “strong-minded leader of men.”
“I think that’s a cool thing with what y’all got over there in Detroit,” Williams said about Amon-Ra’s head coach, Dan Campbell.
Campbell’s offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, is set to become the next head coach of the Chicago Bears, and that’s also who Caleb wanted.
Last week, Williams was catfished by someone impersonating Johnson, and his disappointed reaction went viral. He discussed the incident on the St. Brown Brothers Podcast, which allowed him to elaborate again on the type of head coach he wanted the Bears to hire.
“Just a dude that’s got a fire to him,” he said. “I don’t want people that don’t have a fire. I think I have a certain fire inside of me that certain people can’t coach or certain people can’t be around.”
For as much as Williams wanted a head coach like Johnson, Johnson wanted a quarterback like Wiliams.
It was reported that Johnson had interest in Chicago’s head coach job last offseason when it was evident the Bears would be drafting Caleb first overall, but the Bears held onto Eberflus.
So, while Johnson interviewed with five teams a year ago, he decided to return to the Lions and pass on an opportunity to be a head coach.
A few months ago, Johnson said he’d only accept interview requests this cycle if he intended to leave Detroit, and Chicago...
