In his second season, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has shown quite the jump in growth and development of his play. Working with first year head coach Ben Johnson, Williams has shown more playmaking ability, especially when using his legs and creativity in times of need.
Williams’ ability to create plays out of nothing was especially critical in the Week 10 win over the New York Giants, when he turned a play-action play into the game-winning rushing touchdown. Johnson praised his quarterback’s playmaking ability and credited his improvisational skills.
“We just watched the whole game together. He made a number of really good plays that we needed in the moment,” Johnson said. “And there’s a handful of them that we talked about. And in hindsight, you might play them a little bit different. Same thing for me as a play caller. There’s a number of calls that I probably want back. In those two particular instances, the first one, we felt like we had enough time to hang in the pocket and throw that ball to (WR) DJ (Moore), without breaking contain. It’s a balancing act for him. He feels the pressure and like I’ve been saying all along, he’s got a natural ability to know when to escape and carry on. That’s not something that we want to take away from his game.”
Johnson added that, while the play-making ability is great to have, the coaching staff has encouraged him to look for the big throws and try to make a play through the air if possible.
“But we are encouraging, at times when we see it, where we can hang in there and either get the throw down the field or check the ball down,” Johnson said. “So the one to DJ, we felt like there was some space over the top there that we might be able to throw him open into in the end zone. And then the second one, if I remember it right, we had a number of crossers on that play, and I thought a couple guys popped. It’s a play that we hit. He threw really well in practice we felt good about. And, it’s probably another one that he felt the pressure, got out of it, but we could probably hang in there and deliver that ball down the field.”
With the division-rival Vikings on deck, the Bears are going to need some more of that magic from Williams. But, if this game comes down to the fourth quarter, there’s no doubt Chicago has the advantage with Mr. Fourth Quarter himself, Williams, leading the charge.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson praises Caleb Williams’ natural ability to make plays
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
