Soldier Field remembers 1985. Down 17–9 in the third quarter against Minnesota, Jim McMahon limped onto the field, ignored the pain, and unleashed a 70-yard bomb that ignited a comeback. Narratives rewritten in real time. Four decades later, another young Bears quarterback stands under that same Chicago spotlight, where every incompletion feels like an echo of unfinished business. The pressure isn’t just the Vikings defense on September 8, 2025; it’s the specter of the quarterback drafted nine spots later—JJ McCarthy—lurking on the opposite sideline.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Kevin Fishbain—” Rich Eisen’s voice cuts through the preseason buzz, framing the looming drama. “That matchup? If JJ McCarthy has a great game and if Caleb Williams doesn’t? I cannot even imagine what the reaction is going to be in this city, in Minnesota, across the NFL.” Fishbain, who’s chronicled five Bears head coaches, adds with weary insight, “When you bring up the Ben Johnson element of it… if Ben Johnson ’s not the right coach, it’s like, well, ‘who could be’?”*
The sloppy symphony & the stern conductor
Ben Johnson’s dissatisfaction isn’t subtle. After a disjointed Soldier Field practice witnessed by 23,204 fans, the first-year head coach didn’t mince words: “It was sloppy—sloppier than we were hoping we would be at this point.” Delay-of-game penalties, near-interceptions, a safety surrendered from the 1-yard line—it was an offensive lineman’s nightmare scenario.
“Well, I mean, and the reason why I keep returning to the past, Kevin, is really that’s the only way that we can try and figure out the future,” Rich Eisen reflects, “because right now we’re just seeing cutups on our phones where Caleb appears to be struggling more often than not. Whether that’s fair or not, it probably isn’t. But the idea is, is this coach the right guy to do it? Is this setup the right setup to do it? Is this roster as ready as we thought it was last year and has been improved on the line since then?”
Caleb Williams, lauded for his NFL-record 354 consecutive passes without a pick as a rookie, looked like he was playing Madden with a laggy controller. Ben Johnson’s message was chillingly clear: “If it continues like that, we’re not going to win many games.” This is the “details, details, details” culture Fishbain described—a stark contrast to the improvisational flair Caleb Williams showcased en route to 3,541 yards and 20 TDs his rookie year.
“I just think that you always hear coaches say, ‘I am going to tailor this game plan to my players. I’m not going to make them just fit what I want to do.’ And look, you just hope that Ben Johnson seems like the guy who’s going to do that, who understands that.” — Kevin Fishbain
The tension isn’t personal; it’s pedagogical. Ben Johnson, the architect of Detroit’s #1 scoring offense last year, is rebuilding Caleb Williams from the ‘studs’ up. He’s flooding him with complex play calls, benching first-team units for misalignments, and demanding a 70 percent completion rate.
“So when do we see him? Do we see him in preseason at all or the first time we see Caleb in this is Monday Night Football week one? What do you think?” Eisen asked early in camp. Fishbain’s response highlighted the value of live reps: “I think he should get out there for a couple series. I mentioned the delay games that we’ve seen in camp, the false starts we’ve seen. I just think they need to get the operation figured out in a game setting.”
He elaborated on the joint practices: “Ben Johnson’s got two of them lined up. You got Miami coming on Friday, right? Buffalo a week from Friday. And it certainly seems like those joint practices are going to be so intense that they might not need to see him in the preseason game… but I think you got to get him out there just for a couple series in those games.”
It’s the gridiron equivalent of learning calculus while riding a unicycle. Caleb Williams, for his part, craved this accountability. Remember his January plea? A coach who’d “confront him when he erred.” Well, mission accomplished. Ben Johnson’s pulling no punches, treating the former Heisman winner like the project he still is: “He’s learning, he’s growing… touch that hot stove and you learn not to touch it again.”
The ghost QB & the unseen threat of McCarthy
Which brings us back to JJ McCarthy. While Caleb Williams navigates Ben Johnson’s boot camp, JJ McCarthy—healthy after missing his rookie year with a torn meniscus—prepares quietly in Minnesota. The irony is thicker than Lake Michigan ice in January. JJ McCarthy, the Michigan product whose college tight end (Colton Loveland) is now catching Caleb Williams’ wobblers in Chicago. the guy the Bears almost took at No. 1. JJ McCarthy, projected for 3,700+ yards and 26 TDs in his rookie debut. It’s the ultimate “what if?” haunting Halas Hall.
As Eisen notes, the Week 1 showdown isn’t just a game; it’s a referendum: “The Tuesday after week two… that’s going to be front and center.” If JJ McCarthy, armed with Justin Jefferson and a stable scheme, outduels Caleb Williams amidst Chicago’s offensive stumbles? The whispers will roar. Did Chicago choose the wrong QB? Did they break him with a coach whose meticulousness feels like a straitjacket? Fishbain’s ‘Overreaction Tuesday’ won’t just be a segment title—it’ll be Chicago’s collective state of mind.
SPORTS-FBN-BEARS-WILLIAMS-TB Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams speaks after practice at Halas Hall on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Lake Forest, Illinois. Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS Lake Forest IL USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx 143790330W BrianxCassellax krtphotoslive953519
The path forward for Caleb Williams is etched in Soldier Field sod: master Ben Johnson’s system, silence the pre-snap chaos, and outplay the ghost in purple. Otherwise, the narrative won’t just be about a sloppy August practice. It’ll be about the quarterback who got away—watching from Minnesota, rewriting history without even taking a snap. ‘Da Bears’ new era hinges not just on talent, but on tempo. And right now, the clock’s ticking louder than the playcall.
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