All Activity

And this quote from Ben Johnson: "He played better this game than I think he had the previous two. When you look at it, all 60 minutes, and I’m not saying it’s perfect. I actually came away from watching the tape this morning, encouraged that we took a step in the right direction here this week. I know for some people it’s hard maybe to rationalize because the result wasn’t there. But yeah, I saw tangible growth from him. He’s working his tail off." Some have said this is false praise meant to shield his QB from criticism, but it's so specific, and BJ hasnt done that once since hes been here. I take him at face value. Caleb IS progressing, and we see what it looks like when it's working.

I think it's easy to look at Caleb right now and say it's not good enough. Because it's not. If this is his ceiling, then he is a bust. And I understand the desire to see him perform now. But it's not realistic for several reasons. 1) It takes time for a QB to develop. Many great NFL QBs have looked terrible at first. The actual truth is that developing a top NFL QB takes time. Consider that only maybe 10 people on the planet can do what we are asking for. It's HARD. And it takes time to develop. It's not reasonable to expect it out of the gate. We see real flashes and drives where Caleb is operating in rhythm, so we know its there, and its coming. It just has to expand into more plays, and increased consistency. Thats different than bad QBs who dont have drives like the first two this past week. 2) Caleb had nothing around him last year, so this is like his rookie year. Hell, his current stats are in line with Goffs over his first 7 games with Ben Johnson, and Goff was in year 4? 5? This is almost like Calebs rookie year. He is doing FINE. 3) Media narratives drive this fantasy that Caleb is a bust. Since he knew he was the #1 pick, he didnt have an agent, remember? And that means no PR. And so the crying in his mothers arms, and fingernail painting, and not wanting to be a Bear and all that ran unchecked in the media without a PR to fight for the other side. As a result, Caleb is hated in a lot of the media and fan boys posting online I saw an actual article that the Bears should TRADE Caleb. wtf! I see tons of evidence that Caleb can do what we all want him to do. He does it every week. He also has things fall apart too. It's not even always his fault, but when it is, thats a good teaching moment for Johnson. At this point, if you are smart and reasonable, you have to ask these questions 1) Does Caleb have the innate skills to be a Top 5 QB? YES 2) Was he widely considered a #1 draft pick by almost everyone before the draft? YES 2) Does Caleb show flashes and drives where he looks like a top 5 QB? YES, almost every week. 3) Is Caleb improving every week? Absolutely. 4) Does Caleb have the coaches around him to teach him how to succeed? YES, one of the best in the league I understand that 35 years of Bears fandom watching a trash team with mediocre QBs can create some patterns and expectations. We are trained to complain about our QB, and the one we have right now, is not complete yet, so it's easy to think we are int he same place we've been. But we arent. This is different. The evidence is right there in front of all our eyes on the game tape. The question you ask at this point isnt "is he making mistakes?" because yes of course he is. The question to ask is "do I see increasing evidence that he is going to be great?" and for me thats a solid YES. I dont think anyone can deny the good stuff. And thats proof he can do it. A first year in an offense is about learning the offense, and learning consistency. Also, it should be said that QBs like Jayden Daniels were brought into the league with a limited set of expectations by the OC, who simplified the playbook, and had success early that way. Johnson has said many times that he's feeding Caleb EVERYTHING. That means when consistency comes, Caleb will be great, while other QBs who have been successful in the short term, will still be needing to add to their game. We all see its not good enough right now. But everything screams that this is nowhere near Caleb's ceiling. Be patient. He will be a top 5 QB in time.

Me too and believe it will. I don't want to see the Chernobyl event if it doesn't happen.

I hope we do.

This is about as honest of a conversation that you can have with Caleb. He has the potential to be great but he isnt close to that yet. Trevor Lawrence was a #1 pick and he never even got to top 10 status. Tape never lies, I dont trust Caleb to be great but I do trust Ben to get him where he needs to go. This year will go along way on the growth of our franchise QB for the good or bad. Im an optimism so I think it all works out but worry is a good word to use at this time in his career.

Totally agree, we need to step up.

He was but there is a defender off screen who dropped off their guy and Rome is literally running straight at him. If Caleb leads him, Odunze is probably on a stretcher in a neck brace.

Hopefully this helps out the entire group.

Flacco is nursing an injury, they may have to go with Browning, who has looked absolutely terrible in his recent starts.

Looks like he is going to play the Slot CB, which is a massive upgrade over McCloud who has arguably been the worst starter on defense.

Rome was open. Caleb (I think) sees the DB heading into Rome and last second puts the ball behind him a bit to avoid that big hit. That DB had dropped way off the RB. Rome also rounded off his break a bit enabling the DB to undercut the route easier but if the pass hits him in stride there is no INT. Caleb has to see the 2 DBs bracketing Rome and should have dumped it off to the RB.

so much silliness. youll see.

He has a history of an attitude but he played well last year while starting for the Eagles. It definitely cant hurt our depth. Maybe our D captains can keep in line.

I hope he's 100% and show up like he did in preseason. Sweat can use the help and maybe his production increases.

Finally, I was beginning to fear they would have him sit out the year. They waited until the last minute to activate him, even though he was practicing. Now the big question: will he start against Cincy?

You're probably right. I think CJ was signed with the hopes he could play slot, where he played for the Eagles when they won the Super Bowl. Sounds like, from the article, that is his best position. If he can cover for Gordon, and Stevenson can play, that would be awesome.

Glad to see help is on the way. With this news, I assume Stevenson injury news will not be positive later today.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AGng82ejy/

According to NFL.com, the Bears have signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Here is hoping he can give us a boost over the pedestrian efforts of our current DBs. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson signing is a reunion to help save Bears’ injured secondary

When he entered the NFL, one of the things we all knew needed correcting was his habit of holding onto the ball too long. It showed in week one of 2024. It is still an issue 23 games later. His average time to release the ball this year is 3.06 seconds—the worst of any starting QB in 2025. He still has difficulty with his cadence, which BJ has said is one of many factors leading to presnap penalties. He still has trouble with his footwork, which has led to his poor completion percentage. He still has trouble going through his progressions, causing him to throw into double coverage when he has an open receiver. He still has issues with poor, poor decision-making. Look. Bottom line, I love the kid. I still hope he has a brilliant career. I'm in his corner. I'm a Bears Fanatic. He is our QB. I will wait until the end of this year to see if he shows positive consistency. The only thing he has been consistent with so far is negative traits.

Justins arm was fantastic, he just didnt make reads and get the ball out on time. Its insane to me that people see them as similar. Time will definitely prove this out. Meanwhile, here's Tim Jenkins telling it straight.

Optimism as a Bears fan is not common. And it won’t come from me. Williams looks to me like Trubisky and Fields when it comes to making reads, going through progressions, and pocket presence. The main thing is, in addition to Williams having a way more talented arm, he also has better weapons and a far superior OL.

100% - I see it exactly the same way. He is inconsistent, and that should develop with time. But this narrative that he is a bust, or just another bad Bears QB at this point, it just people looking for patters where there arent any. Caleb is a wholly different animal!

Honestly this is about where i figured he'd be - maybe I expected a little better. JF did not show 5 flashes every game of throwing the ball in rhythm. We dont have to agree, but when Caleb becomes a top 5 QB, I will not be at all surprised. He seems to be on track right now from what I see.

Funny thing was, I understood completely...🤣