Caleb Williams says he's getting used to Bears coach Ben Johnson's offensive system
As Bears head coach Ben Johnson puts it, quarterback Caleb Williams is drinking through a firehose right now — with a brand-new offensive system being thrown at him as he begins year two of his NFL career.
But it is all getting easier to swallow for the franchise QB.
Williams said he and his offensive teammates are trying to get to the point where they're not thinking so much pre-snap, as they work to learn Johnson's offense and its apparently extensive terminology.
"There's so many words that we have in our playbook, and you know, you put so many words together that sometimes they kind of sound the same, so just, you know, when you hear a play, you start to hear the play, it's like, ah, OK, I know what the play is, and so, you know, I know exactly what we have," Williams said. "So, you know, it comes down to a just little bit more studying. It comes down to a little bit more practicing."
Just seven practices into training camp at Halas Hall this summer, Williams feels like he si in a good place with this offense and how he is performing on the field.
"I think right now, I'm doing well with the process — that's before the snap, that's after the snap, that's footwork — all these different things," Williams said. "Protecting the football the past couple practices has been key and important. It's important in any season."
Coach Johnson said Williams is making impressive progress.
"His process is really clean right now. I'm talking about how he's preparing. I'm really pleased with it," Johnson said. "He's doing the work behind the scenes that no one else is seeing, and we're starting to see the dividends being paid from it."
The Bears were down a couple offensive linemen at training camp practice on Wednesday. Braxton Jones had a scheduled rest day, while Jonah Jackson is dealing with a leg injury and is day-to-day.