'Future is bright’ for Bears despite elimination
Chris Simms and Mike Florio discuss the Chicago Bears ' end to the season and the team's future after a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.
Video Transcript
For now, let's hear from Ben Johnson, the Bears' coach.
And Caleb Williams, Bears QB, on the sudden end to a very special season.
For the Chicago Bears.
It's the NFL, right?
You make it to the tournament like this, And the moment, uh... We knew we had to win four in a row.
To actually feel good at the end of it, and, um, We didn't get that done, and so this is what happens: it ends abruptly.
And it was a special year, and, um, this will hopefully be a feeling in this locker room that we won't forget, and we'll be able to use it as fuel going forward.
It's a frustration.
Um.
It's a, it's a fire.
And, and, you know, Those are the two words that I go with.
Um, so I...
I'm excited, though, also.
Um, obviously not happy about the outcome, obviously frustrated about the outcome.
Um, you know, but that's over with, and I can't go back and change it.
And so, uh, I'm gonna go back and watch, you know, figure out how I can be better.
For the near future and, you know, help this organization get to where we want to be.
I listened to the full Ben Johnson press conference, and that is a very important quote.
That you use it as fuel going forward.
But he also said, And this is part of the reality of the NFL now.
There's gonna be guys who are never back.
The team.
Yeah, right.
It's the last time that group is ever going to be together.
Exactly.
It's inevitable that changes will be made.
Yeah.
Far more than what went on when your dad played, where you could really take the The inspiration that comes from how one year ends and push it all forward.
Yeah.
Right... 'cause they're gonna have some changes.
And they do have an opportunity.
They got one more year before Caleb Williams is eligible for a second contract, and he has already earned a sizable deal.
Yeah.
This is on the side of, Yeah, let's go ahead and pay this guy market value.
Exactly.
Right.
Right.
But he's got a $10 million cap number.
For next year, which once upon a time was a big deal.
That's nothing as quarterbacks go.
They can load the cannon with free agents.
They can spend some money, yep.
They can do what they think they need.
And this is where it comes down to Ryan Poles, the general manager.
Working with Ben Johnson: Where do we need to improve this team?
What do we need to do to get over the hump next year?
And look, there's plenty of time to talk about that, but I'm just curious.
Your initial thoughts.
Based on what we've seen from the Bears, What's the most glaring thing they need to address, in your opinion?
In order to have a different outcome next year?
I- it's, Another pass rusher.
I think that would be the biggest thing.
Right?
I, I think you even saw, last night, And you saw during the year, you know, their front four.
I don't think it is capable of just getting there consistently on its own.
Right?
You've got Montez Sweat.
You certainly got him, but I think that would be the big thing.
We've heard them, right, in the market for trading for pass rushers quite a few last few years, and it just never has worked out.
I think that's probably the first place they go.
I think it'd be a lot of defense.
I mean, you look at their offense in general, and you go, Offensive line's good.
Tight ends are awesome.
Receivers are awesome.
Quarterback is a freaking superstar.
A superstar."
The quarterback is the tip of the iceberg.
He's only going to get better, and now he'll have a full offseason to build and be with Ben Johnson on a daily basis.
They're only going to add to that offense.
And it'll continue to get more complicated and more creative.
But it'll look better to us on TV, because he's going to understand how to run it.
And Ben Johnson's gonna go, "Okay, I finally wired this robot to exactly where I want him."
So, the...
I don't look at offense as any spot that they need.
Defense, I think, is really throughout Where you kind of look at it.
Yeah.
And this is one of the reasons why when you've Got a great young quarterback, and you're looking for a coach.
My position always is: You wanna err on the side of an offensive coach.
Because if the Bears had hired a defensive coach last year, They'd be losing their offensive coordinator.
Mm.
To a head coaching job elsewhere.
They'd have to start over again, hoping they find another great one.
And so Caleb Williams would have yet another offensive coordinator this year.
That is a prime example of why you bring Offensive coach, you join him at the hip with the quarterback.
And then you have continuity year in and year out.
So next year will be better than this year.
The year after that will be even better.
And they'll keep building and building, and building, and get to the point where Ben Johnson wants to do, Caleb Williams is going to do it.
And you throw on top of it that he has the ability to make plays you can't coach.
Exactly.
That's something else Ben Johnson said last night.
Right, right.
You know, "I can draw up," and I'm paraphrasing and taking some liberties.
But his point is, "I can draw it up, but then you'll have a spot with nothing.
And if you have a guy that can do something we never put in the playbook, And it works.
Yeah... That's gravy."
That, Well, that's when you get to Mahomes and Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson.
That's what we're talking about.
'Cause, I, I mean, We see that, right?
When they're in a groove, On a weekly basis, we see three or four plays where we go.
Man, the defense is...
They're, they're winning.
They're winning.
What?
He got a 30-yard completion?
Plays like this.
Oh, I'm just gonna run out to the right and buy time and throw a laser down there.
Oh, I'm just going to fade off my back foot and throw a ball in the back of the touchdown."
His talent is off the charts.
You saw some of the runs he makes.
He runs like he's a wide receiver or a running back.
He's got that type of speed & movement.
His arm is one of the strongest arms in history of the NFL.
It's not even debatable.
I've been on the field.
You know, I've caught passes from Brett Favre.
And Dan Marino, and I've been around Tom Brady, and I've seen on the field.
Caleb Williams can rip the ball like Brett Favre, a John Elway, a Josh Allen, or a Patrick Mahomes.
Aaron Rodgers in his prime.
And so, so, yeah.
He's a special, special talent.
Yes, is the comp- I know the completion Percentage is a big thing sometimes, I hear around Caleb Williams.
You know, it is not the era of completion percentage.
People gotta start getting away from that.
It's about making plays.
That's what it is.
You watch the playoffs.
That's what it's about.
Nobody's coming away from these playoff games.
Going, "Oh, he threw for 80%!"
No, it's about, "Oh, he made this play in this moment."
He did this right here to change the game, and that's where he's special.
He'll refine all of that other stuff.
But yeah.
Back to it.
The future is bright, for sure.
And off of last night, Mike, how could he not?
You know, the defense.
Yeah, I'm talking about they could use some players there in free agency.
But damn, what Dennis Allen did on that side of the ball last night, You made Matthew Stafford go 20 for 42.
You made a Sean McVay offense look pretty less.
I was... Look at these.
Look how similar the numbers are.
Yeah, right.
Set aside the touchdowns, passes, and interceptions.
Yeah.
The top three linesyeah...
Almost identical.
But the three interceptions ended up hurting the defense.
The defenses were really impressive.
I didn't think it'd be a 17-10 type.
Of a football game late in the fourth quarter.
I certainly did not.
I thought we'd be more in the high 20s, maybe even the low 30s.
But you saw the defenses had a good feel for how the offenses attack.
And we saw what?
Nothing, really.
We saw a late second quarter, 10-10.
Okay, great.
And then all of a sudden, there's nothing that happened until the fourth quarter.
Where the Rams finally put a long drive together to go up 17-10.
And do it that way.
But I was really impressed.
How many replays did Tirico and Chris Collinsworth show last night?
Where you saw Matthew Stafford drop back, and you went, Man, the Bears are - they're all over them!
Whether they're playing zone, the Rams players are breaking out into Bears.
Or they were playing man-to-man.
It was like, We know what kind of route you're going to run here.
So, that was impressive.
I was impressed with both defenses.
I really was.
With the amount of firepower, the offense coordinator play-caller guys in McVay & Ben Johnson, and then two QBs that we know Can throw the ball anywhere, anytime.
Yeah, I, I, I was, I was very impressed with the way the defenses showed out.
Well, especially when my thought was, it's gonna be the same kind of game as last week, where the Bears are gonna weather a storm, and then can we dig out of it?
Yeah, right.
Right.
'Cause the Rams are still gonna be the Rams.
They got Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, they got the great running game.
They use the 13 personnel.
They got all the tight ends that can do all different things.
They're going to score their points, And the Bears just need to hold on, and try not to come from 21-3.
Behind.
Yeah... Maybe just 14-3, maybe 17-9.
Whatever it may be.
And they ultimately only had to come back 17-10
