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Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has grown as a leader

13 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: How has Caleb Williams demonstrated growth as a leader this season?

2.073 - 27.405 Leila Rahimi

the rahimi harrison grody show middays 10 to 2 on chicago sports radio 670 the score what did it mean to stand next to caleb and then hear him get emotional choked up when talking about the impact you've had on him yeah i mean i didn't see that coming you know it's it's why you get into coaching is you want to make an impact on the people around you you know it it meant a lot it really did

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28.837 - 50.903 Marshall Harris

That was Ben Johnson talking about how Caleb Williams gave him the game ball that he gave Caleb Williams. See, Willie, Iceman, whichever you want to call him, 361 yards in the win over the Packers. Two touchdowns, two interceptions, only sacked once. That was for a loss of nine yards. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grote on 670, the score.

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51.203 - 70.234 Marshall Harris

And I think one of the lasting images off the field, or at least not between the sidelines, was Caleb Williams fired up on the bench yelling at players because not only could you tell he wanted this, but that's what quarterbacks will do at times during a very heated, passionate game.

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70.434 - 77.024 Unknown

Did you notice this in real time from the press box, or did you just see it later as far as how demonstrative Caleb Williams was being on the sideline?

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77.044 - 85.316 Mark Grote

I didn't see from the press box where we are situated that the Bears' sideline is on the far side from where we are.

Chapter 2: What emotions did Caleb Williams show during the game against the Packers?

85.556 - 85.797 Marshall Harris

Right.

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85.837 - 89.502 Mark Grote

Right. We have monitors, saw it on the monitors, just like everybody else, like the replay.

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90.202 - 114.615 Marshall Harris

And I do think that there are times where we try to put people into roles that don't necessarily fit them. Like, oh, if you're a quarterback, you're a leader. Everybody be the same. There's some sort of template that people want that guy to follow. I haven't gotten that vibe from Caleb Williams. He's, as we know, cool, calm, and collected on the podium. But in times when it's heated like that,

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Chapter 3: How did Caleb Williams' performance impact team dynamics?

114.595 - 119.285 Marshall Harris

I don't mind seeing the fire and the passion, for lack of a better term. That's for sure.

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119.926 - 138.441 Mark Grote

I enjoyed it. I thought it was great. I thought it was justified. I think Caleb has earned that. He's earned the respect of that locker room now, having... Been here for two seasons now. He's earned the right to do something like that. I didn't have a problem with it for a second in the moment.

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Chapter 4: What role does passion play in Caleb Williams' leadership style?

138.922 - 159.411 Mark Grote

And I wouldn't mind if he did it again. If it happens against the Rams out there at Soldier Field, if something goes awry, if somebody as a receiver is not where he is supposed to be, that's what great quarterbacks do. I mean, how many times do we see Tom Brady doing things like that? John Elway doing things like that? Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning forever doing that. And I get it.

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159.431 - 165.198 Mark Grote

Those are made men. And Caleb is not a made man yet. But he is getting there.

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Chapter 5: Why is respect from teammates crucial for a quarterback's success?

165.319 - 171.867 Mark Grote

And the things that he is doing with his arm, he has earned the right to do what he did on that sideline. And if he does it again, I'm cool.

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171.887 - 196.881 Unknown

I think what he did Saturday night is a step towards being the made man that you described. I agree. Because if you can't take... command of your team, your offense, in bad moments and good moments alike, and if your team doesn't respect you enough to respond, as they did, by the way, on Saturday night with the aforementioned 25 fourth quarter points, then you're not...

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196.861 - 207.365 Unknown

Getting the respect level that you need from your teammates. But I think he has that. They can all see and they've all talked about over the course of the season how much he's grown. Not from year one to year two.

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207.806 - 216.405 Unknown

I'm just talking about the growth from training camp at the start of year two, first year of Ben Johnson, to this point in the playoffs where his team's still playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

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216.385 - 231.16 Marshall Harris

Well, and to that end, you know, it's also about how you wrap it up as well. People look to you for your last words to this game. They look to you in the locker room. So let's listen to inside that Bears locker room and Caleb Williams talking to his team.

231.821 - 252.247 Unknown

15 years, they said. You know, it's the, you know, having beaten, you know, Green Bay or whatever. It says, whatever, right? Look at this guy right here. Everything he's done for us as a coach, everything the other coaches have done for us.

Chapter 6: How has Ben Johnson influenced Caleb Williams' development?

252.467 - 268.084 Unknown

And it started with him, with bringing in everybody. Get emotional. And for me personally, he's been monumental in my life so far.

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268.445 - 269.526 Leila Rahimi

Yeah.

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269.546 - 292.872 Unknown

Yeah. And so, to his first playoff win as a Chicago Bear.

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293.532 - 295.074 Marshall Harris

When you hear that, what do you think?

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297.116 - 322.351 Unknown

I think Ben Johnson got a true reflection of his quarterback's growth under his leadership. And understand this, Ben Johnson's been very successful as a play caller in the NFL. But I thought that moment, not just the win, but what transpired in the locker room after is a distinct marker in his growth from being an offensive play caller to being a leader of men.

322.671 - 331.965 Unknown

As a head coach, that was a big step forward, not just for Caleb Williams, but also the acknowledgement that Ben Johnson has now reached another level in his coaching journey.

331.945 - 337.933 Mark Grote

All I could think about when I heard that was, sorry, Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron. That's all I could think about.

338.093 - 364.063 Mark Grote

Think about Caleb giving the head coach a game ball after what went on last year with that coaching staff and that quarterback and whether you want to believe the things that we read in the offseason, the Tyler Dunn piece that was written, the stuff which was documented pretty well in the Wickersham book. and Carl Williams and everything that we're talking about because of last year.

364.564 - 385.915 Mark Grote

It's amazing. And I truly, like, I'm tired of mentioning those names, Matt Iberflues and Shane Waldron, and I'm sure people are tired of hearing their names. But that's what I thought of, that, oh, my God, like, he has gotten that quarterback to buy in. And my guess, it's a tricky task to get Caleb Williams to buy in because he knows how good he is.

Chapter 7: What does Caleb Williams' playoff win signify for his career?

391.999 - 412.088 Marshall Harris

You know, it might not be the the script people want him to say when it comes to what he says on a podium, which that's how he's operated. That's authentic to him. That's been that way for a long time, as we all know. And I accept that the Seth Wickersham book offered a lot of insight into who he is as a person and how he became this way.

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412.068 - 425.063 Marshall Harris

And I admire the fact that there was that much discipline at such a young age to be able to earn even all the money he's made now as a compliment. So for him to ceremoniously do that, I thought that that was a very big thing as well.

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425.584 - 442.544 Unknown

I also think it's a marker of one more thing, which we've now seen from two different places in a very short time span. The organizational growth. of both the Bears and both the Cubs over the last week is something that you have to acknowledge.

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443.085 - 462.544 Unknown

The Cubs and their decision to pay real money to someone and look like a big market team in getting Alex Bregman for five years in the 175, and now the Bears and going out and hiring a guy like Ben Johnson who is freely allowed to use whatever language it takes to describe a situation, and George McCaskey is on board with it. That...

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463.621 - 472.506 Unknown

Coupled with each other, understanding where the Blackhawks is in their ascension with Conor Bedard just leads me to one conclusion. Your turn, Bulls and White Sox.

472.546 - 473.409 Mark Grote

Step up.

473.549 - 474.492 Unknown

Okay. Step up.

475.636 - 496.528 Marshall Harris

I think regardless, though, sometimes leaders are made. Sometimes situations will make you, and I think that's what we saw on Saturday. First time in 15 years, we take it. Coming up next here on Rahimi Harrison-Grody, a guy who can answer that question a bit and I think help us understand that discussion further. It's Patrick Manley, the longest tenured Bear.

496.929 - 503.078 Marshall Harris

I'm sure he's pretty happy about what happened to be able to talk about a Bears playoff win. We'll do that with him next.

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