With 6:45 minutes remaining in the Sunday matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Bears trailing by 24-19, all hope was lost for Chicago. But then, QB Caleb Williams made a huddle and looked his teammates in the eye as if to say, ‘This is our moment.’ In the clutch situation, the Bears took over their own 31 and Williams proceeded to complete 4 of 5 passes for 42 yards and rush for 19 yards on two carries to set up D’Andre Swift’s go-ahead 2-yard touchdown run with 1:34 to play. When the final buzzer rang, the team had won. But to HC Ben Johnson, it wasn’t surprising.
He had watched him excel in two-minute situations in practice throughout the offseason since the two started working out together. And now, that mentality reflects in Bears WR Rome Odunze’s words. As Odunze joinedThe Rich Eisen Show, he was full of praises for the new head coach. “It’s been great. I think Coach Ben has been super intense with the offensive team as a whole,” Odunze started. “Just trying to take us where we need to go. Being strict on those things. And I think that sort of culture and mindset has led us to continuing to develop. So, he’s done a great job. Wide receiver position is also one of his babies, he’s coached it in the past. So, he’s very diligent on the details of the offense from our standpoint and we appreciate that.”
Through the training camps, OTAs, and mini-camps, we have heard many stories about Johnson setting the tone in the club already. In fact, back in July, wideout DJ Moore had described Johnson in similar terms. For the first-time head coach, the details truly matter.
During the training camps, rookie receiver Luther Burden III was removed from the field after a mistake. If you’re wondering what the mistake was, it was not following the playbook by a matter of digits. That is no exception, though. The up-and-coming star route runner is also going through the same.
“I would say we had a split…a wide receiver split alignment that was, it’s supposed to be plus two to hash,” Odunze explained. “I think one of the first times we went out there and did perfect plays. I was about plus plus three, maybe plus two and a half, and he let me hear it. So, that was kind of the first instance of me really experiencing (the coach’s strictness and intensity). But it’s an everyday thing. It leads us to having success. So, we appreciate that… He holds everybody accountable to that standard, so yeah.”
Odunze is already cooking with 296 receiving yards and 5 TDs. For comparison, the 2024 ninth-overall pick totaled only 3 TDs for 734 yards in his entire rookie season, starting 12 of 17 games he played. In fact, he became the first Bear to score in each of his first four games in a season since Walter Payton in 1986 in the team’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Also, his scores in all four games match Alshon Jeffery’s record from 2014. And just like the wide receiver appreciates Johnson’s insights and attention to detail, the HC also believes in his player’s growth. But Odunze is not the only one under the microscope. His teammate Caleb Williams is not off the hook either.
“Whether it is a replay something, a play we have to do… I mean, you know, there’s so many different opportunities for quarterbacks to mess anything up because their job has such responsibility,” Odunze added. “I mean, even saying one word wrong, it’s gonna bug him. So, those are all things he’s diligent on. And we’ve reset before but Caleb does a great job with it as well.”
The pursuit for Johnson is simple: He wants everything to be perfect. And all this comes even after the 2024 No. 1 pick is putting up respectable numbers: 927 passing yds, 8 TDs on only 2 INTs. The inconsistency is what Johnson is trying to coach out of him, one word at a time. The thing is, this micromanagement seems to be forging a bond, as is reflected in the connection that Williams and Odunze share on the turf.
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For a team that hasn’t tasted much success in the past decade, building a true winning culture matters just as much as talent on the field. That’s where new coach Johnson is making his mark. The Bears already had the right pieces, including Williams and Odunze. But getting them to function with each other was the trick. Although last offseason Johnson wasn’t sure if the head coaching duty was his call yet, he soon realized his own potential, and how!
And this isn’t the first time the WR has detailed Johnson’s strict approach. This July, Rome Odunze opened up on the Yahoo Fantasy Football podcast with Matt Harmon, explaining how Johnson’s approach is strict and detailed, but exactly what the team needs.
“He’s been hard on us. Holding everybody accountable. I don’t know if you heard any of the stories about him at practice, but he’s strict and he’s detailed,” Odunze said. “And I love it, I think the team loves it, ’cause that’s the sort of standard and accountability that we need to go far. So, he’s very dialed in with his offense, and he’s very detail-oriented and he’s very knowledgeable about offenses, defenses, and the game of football as a whole. All of us are soaking up as much information as possible.” For Odunze and team, it feels like business with a purpose, and the buy-in is already clear.
Ben Johnson’s tough love gains results for the Bears
When the 39-year-old HC was proposed the job to help the Bears’ offense, Chicago needed a jumpstart to the offense. Former HC Matt Eberflus’ pairing with a playmaker like Williams, who showed potential as a rookie, did not feel like a great decision. In comes Johnson, who has a proven record with Jared Goff in Detroit. And the HC did not take the time to take action.
Williams has been interesting this season with a 62.3% completion rate. Through four games, Williams is tied for third in the NFL with eight TD passes. And although one might think it is only because of the resets during practices, Johnson believes there’s another factor.
“On game day, I trust that he’s put in the preparation, and I just let him go out there and play ball,” Johnson praised Williams after the Raiders win. “We stress them enough over the course of training camp and over the course of a weekly practice schedule that come game day, this thing should be free and flow free for him. And I think that’s really what he adheres to.”
But as Williams revealed, it wasn’t just his clutch skills that kicked in against the Raiders. “In that moment, Ben came over to me right before, and he goes, ‘These are times that you’re made for.’ So, he provided belief and confidence that he has in me,” Williams said. “And then from there, I went to the huddle and looked everybody in the eyes: ‘This is the moment. This is where we go win the game.’”
especially now, post the Ebeflus era.