Windy City Gridiron
In the wake of the Chicago Bears’ dominant win over the Dallas Cowboys, Caleb Williams awarded Ben Johnson a game ball for his first victory as a head coach. Ben Johnson then led the team in a cheer, known as the “Good, Better, Best” cheer. He used it again after the win against the Las Vegas Raiders. If the interwebs are to be believed, the cheer’s phrasing originated with St. Jerome in the 4th or 5th century AD, in Latin it is bonus, melior, optimus. This call for continuous improvement was adopted by the military, giving the chant its modern phrasing that Coach Johnson used after the game against the Cowboys:
Good, better, best!
Never let it rest!
Until your good gets better,
And your better is best!
Inspired by Coach Johnson, this is the first of a weekly series where I take a look at the good, the better, and the best for the Chicago Bears from this week’s game. Up first is the game against the Raiders.
If you just look at the box score, mediocre would be the best descriptor for Williams’ 212 yards, 1 TD + 1 INT, 22-37 day in Las Vegas. But beneath those pedestrian numbers is Caleb yet again putting the team on his back in the 4th quarter and putting the Bears ahead. With yet another 4th quarter comeback for Caleb Williams, and this time one that led to a victory, the clutch factor for Caleb has begun to crystallize. Caleb Williams’ quarterback rating in the 4th quarter is his highest for any quarter.
Kyle Monangai had just four rushes, but they went for eighteen yards at a 4.5 yards per carry clip. Coach Johnson is going to evaluate the whole team in the bye week, and the continuing struggles of the Bears’ running game are going to be high on the list.
Rome Odunze had a quiet first half. But he came alive in the second half, capped by an impressive touchdown catch that put the Bears ahead in the 4th quarter of Sunday’s game.
Honorable Mention: It didn’t work because of a face mask penalty against Swift, but the fake flee-flicker illustrates the edge of competition that Ben Johnson continues to have as an offensive play caller. A classic example of his principle of making the same look different and the different look the same.
Ozzy Trapilo was inactive for the Bears’ first two games, leading to much angst among Bears Twitterati that this second-round pick might already be a bust. Active in the Raiders game and thrust into the right tackle position when Benedet was moved to LT and Braxton Jones was benched, Trapilo showed some real growth. He didn’t win every rep, but facing Maxx Crosby on numerous snaps, Ozzy held his own.
Speaking of Theo, while he struggled with Crosby in his start at right tackle in place of the injured Darnell Wright, once he moved to left tackle, he seemed...
