Caleb Williams, potential quarterback for the Chicago Bears, focused on taking a big leap in year 2. After completing 62.5% of his passes during a challenging rookie year, he has set a clear objective: to achieve a completion percentage of 70% or higher. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson made this goal after realizing how much it would help Williams. He believes holding himself to this benchmark will improve the quality of work the rest of the team produces.
In his rookie campaign, Williams passed for a remarkable 3,541 yards, racking up 20 scores compared to six interceptions. Despite these strong numbers, his completion percentage ranked 31st out of 36 qualified quarterbacks, highlighting the need for improvement in accuracy. Williams was under a ton of pressure all year long. That means he took a completely absurd 68 sacks, which only compounded the clinical issues he faced on the field.
With next season approaching quickly, Johnson said he’s written down clear goals for Williams to work on this summer and fall. These are things like his footwork and short throw mechanics. Williams will need to continue to develop his accuracy to join an exclusive club of college quarterbacks. Just to put that in perspective, just 5 players in 2024 managed to hit 70% of their passes, Jared Goff topping the list at 72.4%. Interestingly enough, Jake Browning was the only quarterback in 2023 to clear the even 70% threshold.
Above all, Williams is realistic and accepting of the demands his vision requires. He’s dedicated to putting in time every day going over the playbook.
“Get through the playbook 30 minutes, 40 minutes, an hour each day, 24 hours every day,” – Caleb Williams
He focuses on the fact that ardor is really the only key ingredient to succeeding in his job.
“If you can’t give up an hour or 30 minutes to go over your playbook, you probably shouldn’t be in this position,” – Caleb Williams
As he embarks on this new season, Williams has set two specific goals for himself: to complete at least 70% of his passes and to become the first quarterback in Bears history to surpass 4,000 passing yards while achieving this milestone. If he were to reach a completion percentage of 70% that would certainly take a lot of work on his accuracy and decision-making at the line of scrimmage.
Johnson’s line of thinking is that accomplishing this completion goal will make a huge difference in Williams’ progression as a quarterback. In turn, it should increase the Bears’ on-field success.
“I told him I would love for him this season to complete 70% of his balls,” – Ben Johnson
As camp continues, Williams is honing his craft and locking in with the new offensive scheme. His focus and disciplined vision imply that he is indeed prepared to face the challenges lying in wait.
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