Ben Johnson on Bears, Caleb Williams: 'We're all gonna be better this year'

episode

Rahimi & Grote Show 9 min 4 speakers 5 chapters transcribed 1 month ago

▲ 0

Transcript

jump: chapters · speakers · find in transcript

Transcript

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

What headlines kicked off the show and who’s in studio?

Ryan Poles 0:01

Rahimi Harrison-Grody. I love being here. Middays 10 to 2 on 104.3 The Score.

Vinny Rotino 0:12

This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. A quick programming note, Mark Grody is set to join us right now at 11.25 because we are expecting to hear from Caleb Williams and Kobe Bryant today over at Hollis Hall and practice has already wrapped up. In the meantime, the news of the day yesterday and really what's dominated the past couple days since the Publis came out has been injury news regarding Kyler Gordon mostly. Also checking in on other players and that was addressed yesterday. But the big story of the season, as we know, is going to be Caleb Williams. That is no secret to absolutely anyone. And we've heard a lot about Caleb Williams getting better at the simple. We know he can do the complicated well.

Vinny Rotino 0:56

We watch the highlights.

How did hosts preview Caleb Williams and practice updates?

Vinny Rotino 0:58

We enjoy them. We enjoy the fruits of the labor. But there has been discussion, both out of his quarterbacks coach JT Barrett and out of the offense as a whole, about him making more plays that are simple in structure and how that can really just add to the resume that we've seen so far built. Well, Ryan Poles yesterday was asked about Caleb Williams mastering that and his craft as a whole.

Unknown 1:22

When you talk about Caleb's intensity and desire to win and how encouraging that is to you, are you seeing a connection between that and his understanding of how important just mastering some of the basics and some of the less exciting parts of the job are to those goals?

Ryan Poles 1:37

Yeah. And again, I'll let you. hit that with, with coach cause he sees it closer than, than I do. But, um, I think anytime these guys mature, they start to realize, um, what the work looks like. And those small little details matter when you show up on game day. Um, and again, I expect him to continue to grow in that area.

Marshall Harris 1:58

I, I, I feel like everyone's on the same page here and it's refreshing and based on what happened in the last regime, which Ryan Poles was in charge of, to be clear. But to understand that a synergy level exists at all three levels, we always talk about getting it lined up. The GM, the head coach, the quarterback. And I think that's one of the most...

Why has Kyler Gordon’s injury dominated recent news coverage?

Marshall Harris 2:19

positive and exciting things about the 2026 bears football season is that you go in understanding that anything less than improvement on what you saw last year from the quarterback would be a huge disappointment but like the the mastery of the basics where he says i'll let you hit coach with that because he sees it closer than i do ryan poles you were a professional offensive lineman well yeah but i think anytime these guys mature they start to realize what the work looks like

Vinny Rotino 2:50

That's the part I think is really key.

Marshall Harris 2:54

When you say what the work looked like, you mean you're talking about the nitty gritty of developing your number one overall draft pick?

Vinny Rotino 3:01

Don't forget what we heard and read in the Seth Wickersham novel, which was a nonfiction.

Marshall Harris 3:08

True.

Vinny Rotino 3:09

American Kings. The book that detailed how Caleb Williams didn't know how to watch film. And I think when he says, Ryan Poles, They start to realize what the work looks like, and those small little details matter when you show up on game day. That is really prophetic when it comes to identifying what Caleb Williams needs to do in his preparation before Sundays.

Marshall Harris 3:35

Among the things that I love about this season that I was... unsure about last season how it was going to work obviously we found out how it worked towards the end of the season the back half he he took off is this idea that over the offseason he watched every single incompletion with ben johnson that is extensive but but also i think necessary yeah Because different plays have different results, and we want the quarterback and the head coach to be on the same page as to why and how to prevent that again.

Vinny Rotino 4:10

So the finishing of the mastery of the basics discussion with polls, he says, again, I expect him to continue to grow in that area. So Kate Adams and Caleb Williams sat down and talked about that very thing. The conversation that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams had where Caleb said they had water, not Twizzlers, and then they went over all of this film.