Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show
Ryan Poles: Bears are seeing 'impressive' growth from Caleb Williams
02 Mar 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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That's buyatoyota.com. Toyota, let's go places. This is Rahimi Harrison-Grody on 104.3 The Score. We thank you for joining us on this sunny Monday. Yeah, real nice to have you today. Real good. It is. And we're talking about just the wrap-up of the NFL Combine, where for the Bears this year as opposed to last, it may not have been as much about which prospect looks the best.
even though that is very much front and center. There's also just a lot of business done at the league. People talk for the first time in a couple months. You might have an easier discussion or a more salient point that's made once you're removed from a gutting loss in the playoffs, for example.
And that's where I feel like Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles were when asked about the conversation surrounding what's the next order of business for Caleb Williams? How do you build on the progress that he made? We heard from Ben Johnson. So what about Ryan Poles? Well, Cassie Carlson sat down with him on Fox 32. If you missed it, it is on their YouTube channel.
Fox 32 Sports has a great YouTube channel. And she asked him his thoughts on his young quarterback's goals for the team's offense. Caleb was on, obviously, a podcast, and he said he wants to be the number one offense in the league next year. Also talked about being a little bit of a maniac just in terms of how he wants to be the best on the field.
When you hear your quarterback continue to make that message public, what excites you about that? I mean, his overall maturity from the day he got into the league to what it is today is really impressive. That growth is really impressive. I've got to give Ben a lot of credit for that. They spent a lot of time together.
He's starting to do the things, not just say, but do the things that professional quarterbacks do. And that gets me excited because if his mentality is that, it'll start rubbing off on a lot of the other guys. And if we get the whole crew moving with that mentality, trying to be the absolute best in the league, one of one, we're going to be in a really good spot.
That's as optimistic as I've ever heard Rampel sound. I loved what he said about don't just say it because Caleb Williams, from the second he was at that podium at the NFL Combine there, he was very good with his words. I can throw any ball. I can throw. That's right. Well, sir, I love that for you, but you had a 50-some-odd completion percentage.
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Chapter 2: What did Ryan Poles say about Caleb Williams' development?
And I think that was important, too, that he still has work to do. And that was something that was notable to you when he said that as well. Oh, I've been tracking that since the end of the season press conferences that both Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles said the exact same thing. Yeah, we saw what you saw. It was pretty spectacular in the second half of the season.
We saw some discernible improvement. You like that. I do like that. I like saying that. I really do. I think Kirk Cousins might be back in the division. Really? Yeah. Wait a minute. Yep. Where? His old team. Oh, wow. Yeah, he could go to... Are they really done with J.J. McCarthy? I don't know that they're done with J.J., but that would buy him some time. Do you think there's a fatal flaw?
That's another phrase I like. Fatal flaw with J.J. McCarthy that they're seeing now that doesn't translate? Do you want me to do the take here on J.J.? Yeah. Since life is good in Caleb land, we can focus on other teams. Would you like for me to just... Here's the thing. Bring it. J.J. McCarthy ran a run-heavy offense at Michigan. J.J. McCarthy was known for being a hell of a leader.
He came from a good coach. So not only did he have his own personal pedigree that he built up and earned, he also had the blessing of a respected coach in Jim Harbaugh. So because of that, I think a lot of scouts saw a lot of potential in him, and they saw the intangibles.
But I think they tried to fill the tangible part with intangibles, and that's why there's a bit of a disconnect now that's happening in Minnesota. Yeah, that's pretty good. I mean, and we all saw it. We all know what he was at Michigan, and Jim Harbaugh was heavily lauded for it. He should be. They won.
They won a national championship with him, which is another reason that people were so into him. But he didn't have to do a lot. But similar to proximity with greatness when it comes to, say, Roshon Johnson backing up B. John Robinson. You also have to factor in the other part of it, which is the other individual's talent that your proximity is to.
So, for example, maybe at Texas they didn't care as much about the backup running back being elite because they had the best running back of the nation at the time.
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Chapter 3: How did Caleb Williams express his goals for the offense?
Maybe Jim Harbaugh, knowing that he's a hell of a coach, knew what exactly to do to make J.J. McCarthy look good. Additionally, there's the Justin Jefferson dynamic there, which I think... If you like ball, you want to see that guy catch passes. Not against the Bears, but you want to see... He deserves his talent to be put on a stage, right? He deserves to flourish.
And so when he's your first option, and then you've got all these other issues, it's going to be, by nature, a pass-first offense. Well, you drafted a run-first system quarterback, so... That's how I feel. He was one of the darlings of the low-key, I should say, low-key darlings of the Combine a couple of years back. And scouts for that reason.
It was the combination of factors that led them to want to believe X would fill in. It's Toyota Truck Month. Time to get a truck that works as hard as you do. Tacoma. Tundra. Built for the worksite. Ready for the trail. And packed with tech that makes every drive smarter.
Chapter 4: What are the notable improvements in Caleb Williams' performance?
Available with 360-degree panoramic cameras for perfect visibility in tight spots. Powered tailgate for easy loading. and a high-tech connected screen to keep you on the grid no matter where you are. All backed by the brand known for its legendary reliability. The rugged Toyota Tacoma and the full-size Tundra are built to handle it all.
And right now, your local Toyota dealer has great financing and lease options available to qualified customers. Meaning there's no better time to test drive the Toyota truck you need. Find a great Toyota Truck Month deal today when you visit BuyAToyota.com. That's BuyAToyota.com. Toyota. Let's go places. The Gap. Ryan Poles. We know he loved Caleb Williams.
Everybody who's worked with him has, too. Loved Caleb. That was the guy. Caleb Williams was the guy. But... Ryan Poles loved J.J. McCarthy too. A lot of GMs love J.J. McCarthy. GMs and scouts. Absolutely. And so that's why it's hard for me to believe that they will have left him for dead if they're trying to change him. Challenge him by bringing somebody else in to shake him up a little bit.
Or if there is actually something that they notice, and they've got a pretty good head coach there, pretty good scout who didn't necessarily want that, who could look at J.J. McCarthy and say, yeah, he does this thing that we can't overcome, and that's why we have to bring in other guys. My issue was always just that.
If you knew how Caleb Williams felt, did you do enough for your team in not talking to Jaden Daniels? Like, I would have talked to Jaden Daniels. I would have, but you can't really argue with what's going on right now. The Bears have a quarterback. Because that's the beauty of a team sport. Yeah, so he might have gotten lucky by not talking to others. The result happened.
To fix it, they brought in the right guy. In football, it's never too late to fix a mistake, especially. So I think in that case... Not that it was a mistake, but that, you know, if you're not going to at least talk to another guy because you're so hell-bent on this, well, you'd better make that situation work. And you'd better pay for it, and they did. Yeah, I can't lament that at this moment.
I mean, that made sense last year with...
jayden daniels this season i'm saying i guess two years ago now when jayden daniels was excellent and caleb williams was just kind of meh and it felt like i said it's it's the dunkin donuts race at the united center where you think you know who's got the it's jayden daniels oh no it's not gonna jj mccarthy looks pretty no no no oh but and then out of nowhere you think caleb's gonna lose the race you're getting excited at the uc right now here comes caleb speeding around the outside so it's it's pretty amazing that class of quarterbacks i can't wait to see where it ends
Well, and the other part is, too, is Drake may didn't have a terrible year. No. I didn't even mention him in my little Dunkin' Donuts race. Yeah. But as part of this, I think it's also just, why wouldn't you leave every stone unturned? Like, if nothing else, it reinforces your decision about Caleb Williams if you talk to somebody else.
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Chapter 5: What challenges did Caleb Williams face in his first year?
Wow. I know we don't have time to get into it, but you just brought up the chicken or the egg question right there. So you're talking about Ben Johnson has made the difference with Caleb. But without Ben Johnson, you don't think Caleb would have this... I don't think he would have been as good, but that's because Ben Johnson put his players in better positions to succeed.
I mean, he's a great coach, but it's also a great question. Does Caleb Williams... Ben Johnson isn't throwing the football in the field. Ben Johnson isn't backing up 26 yards behind the line of scrimmage and throwing a dart to Colt But no matter what, if all things were equal, would Caleb Williams have needed an elite head coach to be successful in the league? Is that the only way for him?
There is guidance that he needed that he couldn't have an average coach. He's not talented enough to overcome stuff. Now that I think he is, but he didn't have an average coach before. He had a below average coach. He did. So it's a great question. And it's been a big talking point all year. The star of the season was Ben Johnson. It wasn't Caleb Williams. I mean, 1B, I suppose.
You and I have a couple of Layla Grody shows later this week. I'm going to collect some receipts from one little known source called Tom Brady, and I'm going to play them for you, and then we can discuss how much a coach can make a difference in a quarterback's career. I would love to hear that. Yes, we will be doing what? Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? Is that our? Yep.
It's Marshall and me tomorrow. It's you and me Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Rahimi's receipts are back. I don't know that they left. They just got, you know, then it became the whole show and it's not really receipts. We're doing it together. Right. They were very well featured back when you were in my chair. Yes. Back in the day. It was like Rahimi's receipts were heavy.
That's also because we had a dude who thought he was real smart and would roll out empty with a fullback read as the hot read against a blitz-heavy offense in Minnesota. Wait a minute. Who's that person you're talking about? Luke Getze. Oh, the Getzmeister. I thought you were talking about a host at first. Oh, God, no. If a host called that play, I'd be like, yo, what were you thinking?
I am smart. Why do you think I'm not smart? A host rolling out empty would be really bad, huh? I'm unfiltered. How does that... Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Unfiltered. Dan Weterer is next. Toyota builds vehicles that don't just keep up, they lead the pack. On the road, in your routine, and most of all, within your budget.
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