Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Ben Johnson has high expectations for Caleb Williams' completion percentage (Hour 1)
01 Apr 2026
Chapter 1: What are Ben Johnson's expectations for Caleb Williams' completion percentage?
This hour is sponsored by Wintrust. The views and opinions of Layla Rahimi, Marshall Harris, and Mark Grody should not be taken too seriously. Especially when they give advice. Do not take Marshall's analogies literally. Especially when it comes to Russell Dorsey. The sports thoughts of Rahimi, Harris, and Grody may change at any time. It's just sports. Okay, thanks. Bye. Rahimi Harrison-Grody.
10-2 on 104.3 The Score.
You know who else needs full coverage? Kevin Warren. Kevin Warren. The Chicago Bears. And you know what? They're working their way towards getting full coverage. Be better protected from mayhem. Like me. We knew that the NFL owners meetings would be the perfect opportunity for Kevin Warren to check back in. But he...
has already sat down with our friend Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk, the NBC gang. They got together, and Mike Florio did what he's supposed to do. He asked him, what's up on that stadium? Illinois, as you said, they're still working on legislation, and we have a wonderful piece of land in Arlington Heights, 326 acres.
And so we don't have a set deadline, but I am confident that sometime this spring slash summer, we'll know. I mean, we have to know. If I can't get that extra cash, it's going to be a pass.
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Chapter 2: How did Nico Hoerner feel playing behind Edward Cabrera?
If we don't own it. We don't want it. That's what I heard. What do you want? You know, are we going to go out? Is that what you're trying to? What do you want? Tell me what you want. There was talks about cranes in the sky. I always look for cranes in the air. It's a great song by Solange, by the way. Well, look, maybe Solange can get down here and get work.
Ray, can I get a little cranes in the sky? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. He said we are focused on, in Cook County, we're focused on Arlington High. He mentioned that lack of appetite. And once he said lack of appetite, I was like, okay, they're done. Cooked. This year? No. I think they're cooked. Kevin Warren should walk out to this anytime he does media.
But wouldn't that be just a reminder that there will be no cranes in the sky?
Stadium. Stadium. I tried to work it away.
I haven't been able to sleep the last couple nights.
But that just made me even sadder.
We will get this right.
I tried to keep myself busy.
Layla Rahimi, Marshall Harris, Mark Grody. Middays 10 a.m. to 2 on Chicago Sports Radio 104.3 The Score.
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Chapter 3: What insights did Tommy Hottovy share about Shota Imanaga's performance?
It really is. Oh, Caleb? Turn it up, honey. Give me more. Yes.
Let me gorge myself on Caleb Williams' information.
Amen. And let us gorge ourselves on the Bears head coach, Ben Johnson, who says all the right things in terms of what Bears fans should want to hear. That enough with last season. And there's no sense of entitlement relative to last year. And when we're out in public, we don't need to hear about a great... Don't feed the bears, folks.
You're only hurting the bears if you feed the bears that sort of information. One of these things, too, is one of the... I would say if there was one phrase or two words... that Ben Johnson has been most famous for as it pertains to Caleb Williams, it is completion percentage, which some people push back on when it comes to Caleb Williams because of the unique nature of this quarterback.
Because Caleb Williams was dominant in fourth quarter. Seven fourth quarter comebacks in the last two minutes of games. Excellent. Stellar. That's where you see the elite. But we don't see the elite in three quarters of football, typically from Caleb Williams, to the point where his completion percentage, second worst in the league at 58.1%. And look, I have heard people saying it.
I have seen it written that it's a bogus stat and we shouldn't pay attention to it. But if we all are on board with Ben Johnson... which it feels like we are.
Ben Johnson has not gotten much pushback in this town yet because he's been successful, he sounds smart, he literally developed a quarterback for you to the point where we all think that Caleb Williams is going to get the big, mega contract extension at some point in time.
If you do believe in Ben Johnson, then you have to hear and listen to some of the things that Ben Johnson is saying about Caleb Williams and what Ryan Poles has been saying about Caleb Williams. And that is, Marshall, he needs to be better. And he needs to be better when it comes to completion percentage. Let me read you. We've got some great audio that we're going to play here in a second.
But, Marshall, let me read this first of all. Ben Johnson to our guy Dan Wiederer of The Athletic. He happens to host a podcast known as Take the North with George Truly, which we'll be recording later on this afternoon. We are lucky to have Dan in Phoenix, Arizona for those owners' meetings.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of Caleb Williams' fourth-quarter comebacks?
I want to go to Chicago because Caleb Williams, look at the raw material that this guy, he could be better than my guy. Like he's got natural coach bailout skills, does Caleb Williams, that Jared Goff didn't have.
I also love when Ben Johnson says, we're going to make mistakes, talking about the coaching staff. And he's mentioned over and over again how many times Caleb Williams has bailed them out from a programming standpoint, if you will, in terms of this play was called and it wasn't the right call. And Caleb Williams made it look good, even though it was a mess.
That's right. Right. And I love that Ben Johnson is transparent about as transparent as he is about calling out his players. Ben Johnson has called himself out any number of times as well. We're open here, by the way. Text messages are flying in because you guys know the number. For those of you who don't, listen in on the FM, which we appreciate at 104.3 The Score.
Rahimi Harris and Grote, Marshall Harris and Mark Grote here today. 312-644-6767. A texter from the 317 says, you can't expect Caleb to have another seven comebacks again next year. Look at the Chiefs the last two years. I don't know if that's true or... Like, I'm pretty comfortable with Caleb being a master of the fourth quarter. Hold on a second. I don't want to see him have to do that, though.
I want to see them. Remember the original mission statement from Ben Johnson and Caleb? We want to embarrass teams. I didn't forget that, and I don't think Ben Johnson has forgotten that, and I doubt that Caleb Williams has forgotten that.
And I think that's why Ben Johnson remains frustrated, even with the progress that Caleb Williams showed from Game 1 to the final game of the playoffs. There was progress there. But he understands what the true potential is. You know why he understands? Because he's coached No. 1 offenses. He knows what those look like. He has done it before.
And now Caleb Williams just needs to do his part to make sure they have a No. 1 offense or are in the running to have a No. 1 offense.
Oh, you need more evidence as to what Ben Johnson is saying in terms of Caleb Williams, the need to be better, and the completion percentage to be better. Take a listen to this. This is from the Hogue and Johns podcast. talking to Ben Johnson. Everybody got a little piece of Ben Johnson. Everybody got their one-on-ones, including Hogan Johns.
This is some really good, honest stuff from Ben Johnson, which might help those of you who push back against completion percentage, which I understand, but I want you to listen to this regardless.
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Chapter 5: Why is completion percentage a significant metric for quarterbacks?
But if he's not going to give up any runs, I'm not going to be mad at Jamison Tyone. Especially when you're talking about the first start of the season. Maybe he's a little bit more stretched out, a little bit more confident going forward. It's a cold, dreary night. He did his job. He kept... He kept them on a treadmill. They did not score runs.
I can't be mad at Jamison Tyone on a night in which the opposition scores no runs.
Yeah, I think you put it pretty well. He was good enough, especially relative to Tyone's mental and physical struggles. As we talked about the article, I think it was Megan Montemurro in the Tribune that I was alluding to about playing mind games with himself in spring training and did not have a good spring training. So it was good to see Tyone do what he did.
You know, four and two-thirds, it doesn't sound great, but I think you put it perfectly good enough, and you just never know with Jameson Tyone, although he was excellent towards the end of last season and even in the postseason, which brings me to, boy, oh, boy, I love Tyone. getting to know Edward Cabrera. He's the shiny new toy for the Cubs.
In the 7-2 win on Monday, six shutout innings, one hit, only five strikeouts. I want to see him strike out more. One walk, 80 pitches, but we just haven't seen this profile of pitcher with the Cubs, except for, I guess you could put Cade Horton behind, probably in there, but the velocity even better for Cabrera in changing the identity of this starting rotation.
It's so nice to have that guy, and I like learning about him and watching him and seeing what the Cubs have in him.
My favorite thing about the Edward Cabrera start, and you could just say, yes, he faced one over the minimum over six innings and didn't give up any runs and only two base runners. induced a grounded into double play. But my favorite thing about it is the swing and miss of it all because he got 15 swings and misses. On four of those five strikeouts you're talking about, it came on that curveball.
And so to understand how he mixes pitches and what he's been able to do already in one start, just like giving you kind of a taste of what this is going to be, you have to love that. And you have to love the fact that 15 swings and misses tells you this is a guy, when he is truly unleashed, because he only threw 80 pitches, because why does he need to throw more than 80 pitches?
It's the first start of the season. He feels like he's going to be a 1A of sorts. Like if Cade Horton's 1, he could be 1A. Not 2, but 1A. And that's a scary thought if you're the opposition.
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Chapter 6: How does Ben Johnson's coaching influence Caleb Williams' development?
Yeah, that strike out of Trout on that breaking ball, I mean, that was an absolutely perfect ball after the four seamers. This is ace caliber stuff. This is front of any rotation caliber stuff. What's he been like as a person? This is a big opportunity for him, frankly.
100%, yeah, and I'm glad you asked about the personality because obviously still getting to know him and all that, but just the way he carries himself on the mound is ā It's dominant. It's elegant. He looks like he's expecting to have success. He's composed but shows emotion. He looks the part 100% and the results follow.
And the personality I think we saw in a way that maybe we didn't expect because he's actually, not to say he wasn't in Miami pitching for something, but he's pitching in front of an interactive crowd. When there's more than 30,000 people in the stands and you're used to your whole career...
When you're pitching in home games, pitching on average in front of 11,000 people, that was the largest home crowd he had ever thrown in front of.
I want you to really process that.
In his whole career.
Yeah, and that makes a difference. Wrigley Field has always made a difference. Some guys thrive in it. Some guys don't. And, look, the overall part of this is, like, people ask you, well, we're Where has this guy been? Why is he not an ace? Because he still can be. By the way, 6'5", 220. He's bigger than I even ever knew. He looks like a tank out there. He looks like a tank out there.
In 2025, the 26 starts that he made, most in his career. Had never made more than 20 starts, as a matter of fact, in a season previous to last year. His career ERA is 401. So he's not there yet in terms of a guy that you call an ace, but there is still a lot of
potential there with edward cabrera to get to that to get to the top of a rotation and just looking at to this and this is from uh sahada sharma as well like in terms of liking the other pitches better his change up by the way 93 miles per hour that does not go out of style as far as i'm concerned that on monday specifically it was 93 miles per hour
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