Bears mailbag: How does Ben Johnson cater offense to Caleb Williams?

The Bears secured a playoff spot, the NFC North crown and a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The first two are good. The third was unwelcome, despite the fact Chicago went haymaker for haymaker with likely the NFL’s hottest team.

The Bears are still searching for the NFC’s No. 2 overall seed, facing a Detroit Lions team that beat them 52-21 (yep, you read that right) way back in Week 2. The Lions are out of the playoffs already but will surely be motivated to face Bears head coach Ben Johnson, their old offensive coordinator.

[READ: Ben Johnson clearly states Bears’ approach vs Lions in NFL Week 18 game]

Johnson and the Lions will always be linked, a fact that gets this Bair Mail installment started. Johnson has said he’s building the Bears offense, not a facsimile of what he ran in Detroit. How much of a deviation will there be? We discuss that, Chicago’s path through the playoffs and their ongoing stadium question in this Bears mailbag. Let’s get right to it:

Chris M. from Glenview, Ill.

While it’s clear the Bears are still adjusting to a new system, do you think this offense will eventually develop its own identity and is it fair to continue comparing it to Detroit’s? I understand it may take time for everything to click, but I’m interested in your thoughts on when that shift might happen.

Bair: Interesting question, Chris. I trimmed it down a bit, but to catch everyone up, he was talking about this Bears scheme being “Lions 2.0.” While there will be similarities to what was done in Detroit due to Johnson’s preferred concepts and running styles, that’s more about the play caller and less about the team.

Also, it’s important to note that Johnson specifically stated this Chicago scheme would not be a carbon copy of what he ran with the Lions. Watching quarterback Caleb Williams work is a primary example of that. While he’s under center a ton and has grasped the importance of playaction and working into proper run fits, Johnson has incorporated Williams athletic ability into his play calls. He’s also not running the same scheme he set up for Jared Goff. I also think it will evolve over time, as Williams masters the scheme and can have more influence in play designs.

He won’t call the same runs for D’Andre Swift that he did for Jahmyr Gibbs, considering they’re fundamentally different players.

All that said, there will be tons of similarities because of the offensive architect. Consider how good Detroit was under Johnson, that’s a good thing.

Michael Botthof from Lake Oswego, Ore. (Glenview native)

Assuming the Bears maintain the two seed, what would be your hopeful and realistic path through the playoffs to get to the NFC championship?

Bair: I wanted to add this question from Michael, who won an opportunity to appear on this week’s “Chicago Football Show,” after winning an auction prize supporting the Adaptive Sports Northwest organization (learn more here:  https://adaptivesportsnw.org/). He asked three questions as part of a special, televised Bair Mail segment, so it seemed only right that we’d include a question in the article version.

The Bears must beat Detroit on Sunday, or have Philadelphia lose to Washington, to formally secure the No. 2 overall seed. That would ensure two home games at least in the playoff bracket, a huge boon for the Bears if they can get it.

[MORE: NFL playoff picture: Bears seeding scenarios entering Week 18 schedule]

Johnson has already said the Bears are playing to beat Detroit, so they want the No. 2 seed. If they get that, they’ll face the Packers at home in the NFC wild-card round. That will be a tough matchup and a tight contest. After that, they would see either the Eagles or an NFC West team in the No. 6 slow, of which there are three in the bracket. The 49ers, Seahawks and Rams are all tough, but I’d rather deal the worst of the three quarterbacks. No offense to him, but that’s clearly Sam Darnold.

The NFC is so stacked, however, that there’s no easy path to the Super Bowl in this conference.

Leah P from Chicago

Regarding the new stadium: I know this is a long, complicated process (and I may be spiraling a bit), but even the suggestion of the Bears ending up in Northern Indiana is unsettling. My bigger fear is Kevin Warren getting scapegoated along the way. I’ve appreciated the direction he and his team have taken in trying to modernize the franchise and it’d be incredibly frustrating to see him dismissed; especially after his role in bringing Ben Johnson and his family to Chicago. That move actually felt like progress, which Bears fans don’t get to say very often.

Bair: A few things here, Leah. I believe Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren is super secure in his job. He’s well liked in the building and by chairman George McCaskey. He built one of the NFL’s best stadiums in Minnesota.

[MORE: Kevin Warren: Chicago Bears stadium search will expand beyond Illinois]

I also think you’re in the majority being revolted by the Bears stadium being built outside Illinois. While Warren’s open letter a few weeks back specifically stated the suggestion of Northwest Indiana wasn’t a leverage play, we all know it is. At some point, Warren and the Illinois must figure out a way to work together on a privately funded stadium build. The Bears are asking for infrastructure improvements, but that’s incredibly common. Trust me. I’ve covered stadium situations in San Diego, Oakland and now in Chicagoland. I should know.

Moving out of state is about getting Arlington Heights done. The Bears threatened to move out of state before, back in 1995. They ended up staying put. If this were a newer franchise, all this might raise an eyebrow. This is a legacy franchise synonymous with Chicago. Can’t imagine them moving out of the area.

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