Our series on the Chicago Bears begins with a look at the quarterback. His coaches from 2024 open up on a season from hell. ("There’s no substitute for the work. That’s something he needs to learn.")
This article series is why I smile when my Go Long subscription renews each year. I can’t wait to support your excellent, can’t get elsewhere work, Ty. Thanks!
As a long suffering Bears fan, I don’t listen to haters who say - “you guys drafted the wrong guy!” Me? I didn’t draft anyone. I didn’t dub Caleb the next coming of Peyton Manning, the media did. I said “Ok.” What do I know? I hear the excuses from the team and the beat reporters and say “yeah - the coaching sucks!” but - did every coach suddenly become an idiot? There was smoke but it was blamed on locker room dysfunction.
This news is disappointing. I believe it 90% - it wasn’t all the coaches and it wasn’t all Caleb. But the reality is Tyson Bagent got a big extension. It made sense because he is a solid backup. But now I read that as a message from Ben Johnson “Get your shit together or we’ll go in a different direction. I didn’t draft you.”
I just want the Bears to be good . I don’t care how it happens.
An undrafted rookie from a tiny college gets paid to be one of the highest back ups. And Poles agreed to the contract knowing its implication: our backup quarterback can be a starter, even if our starter is the GM's hand-picked darling. It looks like Ben Johnson has the power in the room.
It is just so Bears to do whatever ESPN says hoping it works out this time. I'm the only guy that will ever say this but I wish George McCaskey were GM and just did what he thought made sense instead of listening to others. We honestly couldn't do any worse.
I wish I could argue this. However, if George or another grandbaby or great-great grandbaby learned how to be a football expert, I would be okay with them hiring the right people. The McCaskeys are really nice people but are incompetent in running a team.
Incompetent why? Everyone said draft Caleb. Everyone said Ditka was the past fire him. Everyone said in the 90s get a Johnson disciple. Everyone said get a gm like from the Sean Payton system saints consistently good. Nagy Poles hey that Chiefs Mahomes system is the future bring them in. Waldron worked for McVay he cant fail.
The mccaskeys aren't like Al Davis trying bizarre stuff no one saw coming. They follow last year's hot trend and conventional wisdom and keep getting burned. That is the experts being wrong more than McCaskey causing problems.
Oh my goodness. What a Part I. I'm saving Part II as a substitute for my nightly movie slot. I'm curious what the draft room thought of each QB and how with all the money put into researching the players' background (high school coaches and teachers even), they arrived at Caleb Williams. The dyslexia I'm assuming comes out in the draft room, but why is it hidden from coaches but not scouts?
Happy the Bears messed up but disappointed that Caleb's dyslexia was hidden rather than acknowledged and dealt with, so it would be something he could overcome and be a model of for his team mates and the kids watching him, rather than it being anathema. Context matters so much and it's sad that he was labeled 'lazy' when he was 'confused'. But laziness or indifference, or acting out becomes the learned and habitual defense mechanism of a kid who is embarrassed because they don't understand and are not given the support to understand. Poles is pathetic for hiding it.
It must’ve been incredibly bad for your sources to be so revealing. What’s more, it sounds like most of your sources were on the coaching staff.
Tyler, you did it again, finding doo-doo in the sheets under the top blanket of a bed no other media bothers to inspect.
I am curious if your sources on the Bears looked at you as that “Packers reporter”they could trust because you had the balls and skill to tell the truth about Aaron Rodgers.
How did you get these guys to talk so candidly about their starting quarterback?
I think it's worth keeping in mind how ex players spoke of Shane Waldron and his lack of a set number of prescribed steps for dropbacks, and the same for Eberflus and what a snake like narcissist he is when taking all this in. That said, great work Tyler. It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out. No excuses if Ben Johnson can't fix this mess.
I read parts one and two while watching the youtube game last night. An interesting read while keeping an eye on the game.
I didn’t see this in the article, but I knew Williams was going to be a problem after his first NFL TD pass in the 4th quarter of his 3rd game. He threw it to Rome U, who also scored his first TD and Williams was fighting him over the ball, ignoring the fact that the coach wanted them to go for 2 in a then 14-9 game. That sent me a message that his head isn’t in the game, and he’s just selfish worrying about things that don’t matter much. Winning is what matters, not keepsakes.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the GM, as Part II was a bigger indictment on a team that has no process whatsoever in evaluating talent.
Now that’s what you call a barn storming start to a series Tyler. Incredible depth of detail and the truth is stranger than fiction resonance is startling. Brilliant.
Very interesting stuff but Williams’ story has yet to be written. It will be fun to follow the QBs drafted in this class. I do think Williams is the 2nd best QB
Yipes! Who knew this stuff? This is incredible Tyler. Stuff like this usually comes out many years after the fact. Tyler writes about it right after it happens. Incredible work!
This can all be true (it is not) and it simply does not matter going forward. Ben Johnson isn't going to let Caleb half ass it this year.
Also pretty embarrassing you waited until part 2 to post a small quote from a current Bears coach who had nothing but good things to say about Caleb (i am also willing to bet there was more positive comments about Caleb that you just decided not to include).
If you are going to write a hit piece on Caleb, you would think an actual journalist would try to get more current coaches on the record with what is going on this year. But you are a Packers fan who thinks he is a journalist.
Hey now Tyler we have reasons to be suspicious. Maybe you could do a piece on the inordinate number of referees who have the same last name as referees from the 1970s and happen to live in Wisconsin. But I am liking the piece so far.
Claiming Tyler is a fan of any team is easily the laziest comments many are making. This is about Ryan Poles and his drafting and development of Caleb. If you think this is about Caleb either your head is in the sand or you’re dumb as a box of rocks. This has nothing to do with this year. It’s about how the Bears got here with dysfunction…again.
Hit piece? You mean the truth? If you watched any games last year and can’t see everything talked about in the article evident in his play again your head is in the sand. Jumping to Tyler is a Packers fans is evidence of head in the sand as well. Go listen to Tyler’s interview yesterday with CHGO. He clearly says Caleb has talent and Ben Johnson is the best coach for him to succeed. Ryan Poles set Caleb and franchise for failure by not evaluating all QBs available and defaulting to Caleb.
A long form article that is entirely made up of former coaches/FO members (all fired) shitting on a player without a single quote from the existing staff.
Even though he had a quote from a current Bears coach defending Caleb, he just conveniently left it out.
That is a hit piece through and through. And not his first one.
No comment on saving your quote from a current Bears coach either? Easy work getting endless quotes from former coaches who were all fired and then painted being as terrible coaches (i understand why they would want to defend themselves - they are not as bad as they were made out to be)
But c'mon dude, you got one single quote from a current Bears employee.
“For this three-part series, Go Long chatted with 32 sources. Coaches, scouts, execs, players and staffers inside Halas Hall guide readers through the sludge. Many have landed new jobs. To share their experiences without fear of retribution they’re granted a condition of anonymity.”
Curious how you know that he didn’t speak to a current staff member? You don’t.
Sorry if the truth isn’t what you agree with. The results speak for themselves but keep on about how the truth is a big piece.
This article series is why I smile when my Go Long subscription renews each year. I can’t wait to support your excellent, can’t get elsewhere work, Ty. Thanks!
This is damn good stuff. I hope this shifts the narrative on Caleb! Good luck to Ben Johnson and his crew, my goodness...
As a long suffering Bears fan, I don’t listen to haters who say - “you guys drafted the wrong guy!” Me? I didn’t draft anyone. I didn’t dub Caleb the next coming of Peyton Manning, the media did. I said “Ok.” What do I know? I hear the excuses from the team and the beat reporters and say “yeah - the coaching sucks!” but - did every coach suddenly become an idiot? There was smoke but it was blamed on locker room dysfunction.
This news is disappointing. I believe it 90% - it wasn’t all the coaches and it wasn’t all Caleb. But the reality is Tyson Bagent got a big extension. It made sense because he is a solid backup. But now I read that as a message from Ben Johnson “Get your shit together or we’ll go in a different direction. I didn’t draft you.”
I just want the Bears to be good . I don’t care how it happens.
An undrafted rookie from a tiny college gets paid to be one of the highest back ups. And Poles agreed to the contract knowing its implication: our backup quarterback can be a starter, even if our starter is the GM's hand-picked darling. It looks like Ben Johnson has the power in the room.
Also, Bagent looked darn good in the preseason. Know its only preseason, but he looked very capable of running Johnson's offense.
It is just so Bears to do whatever ESPN says hoping it works out this time. I'm the only guy that will ever say this but I wish George McCaskey were GM and just did what he thought made sense instead of listening to others. We honestly couldn't do any worse.
I wish I could argue this. However, if George or another grandbaby or great-great grandbaby learned how to be a football expert, I would be okay with them hiring the right people. The McCaskeys are really nice people but are incompetent in running a team.
Incompetent why? Everyone said draft Caleb. Everyone said Ditka was the past fire him. Everyone said in the 90s get a Johnson disciple. Everyone said get a gm like from the Sean Payton system saints consistently good. Nagy Poles hey that Chiefs Mahomes system is the future bring them in. Waldron worked for McVay he cant fail.
The mccaskeys aren't like Al Davis trying bizarre stuff no one saw coming. They follow last year's hot trend and conventional wisdom and keep getting burned. That is the experts being wrong more than McCaskey causing problems.
Oh my goodness. What a Part I. I'm saving Part II as a substitute for my nightly movie slot. I'm curious what the draft room thought of each QB and how with all the money put into researching the players' background (high school coaches and teachers even), they arrived at Caleb Williams. The dyslexia I'm assuming comes out in the draft room, but why is it hidden from coaches but not scouts?
Happy the Bears messed up but disappointed that Caleb's dyslexia was hidden rather than acknowledged and dealt with, so it would be something he could overcome and be a model of for his team mates and the kids watching him, rather than it being anathema. Context matters so much and it's sad that he was labeled 'lazy' when he was 'confused'. But laziness or indifference, or acting out becomes the learned and habitual defense mechanism of a kid who is embarrassed because they don't understand and are not given the support to understand. Poles is pathetic for hiding it.
All I can say is… wow. Incredible work. Rooting for Caleb to turn it around. It’s not hard to imagine Ben Johnson going to Bagent if he can’t though.
It must’ve been incredibly bad for your sources to be so revealing. What’s more, it sounds like most of your sources were on the coaching staff.
Tyler, you did it again, finding doo-doo in the sheets under the top blanket of a bed no other media bothers to inspect.
I am curious if your sources on the Bears looked at you as that “Packers reporter”they could trust because you had the balls and skill to tell the truth about Aaron Rodgers.
How did you get these guys to talk so candidly about their starting quarterback?
TD - incredible story. Hope you win an award for this one. Just amazing reporting.
I wish more sports journalism of this calibre existed. A fascinating blend of narrative and genuine insight. Well done TD.
I think it's worth keeping in mind how ex players spoke of Shane Waldron and his lack of a set number of prescribed steps for dropbacks, and the same for Eberflus and what a snake like narcissist he is when taking all this in. That said, great work Tyler. It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out. No excuses if Ben Johnson can't fix this mess.
I read parts one and two while watching the youtube game last night. An interesting read while keeping an eye on the game.
I didn’t see this in the article, but I knew Williams was going to be a problem after his first NFL TD pass in the 4th quarter of his 3rd game. He threw it to Rome U, who also scored his first TD and Williams was fighting him over the ball, ignoring the fact that the coach wanted them to go for 2 in a then 14-9 game. That sent me a message that his head isn’t in the game, and he’s just selfish worrying about things that don’t matter much. Winning is what matters, not keepsakes.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the GM, as Part II was a bigger indictment on a team that has no process whatsoever in evaluating talent.
Amazing piece. Congrats. Sounds like they should have had Caleb play Madden to prepare for games!
Now that’s what you call a barn storming start to a series Tyler. Incredible depth of detail and the truth is stranger than fiction resonance is startling. Brilliant.
Very interesting stuff but Williams’ story has yet to be written. It will be fun to follow the QBs drafted in this class. I do think Williams is the 2nd best QB
I listened to this article, finally falling asleep near the end. What a nightmare.
Yipes! Who knew this stuff? This is incredible Tyler. Stuff like this usually comes out many years after the fact. Tyler writes about it right after it happens. Incredible work!
This can all be true (it is not) and it simply does not matter going forward. Ben Johnson isn't going to let Caleb half ass it this year.
Also pretty embarrassing you waited until part 2 to post a small quote from a current Bears coach who had nothing but good things to say about Caleb (i am also willing to bet there was more positive comments about Caleb that you just decided not to include).
If you are going to write a hit piece on Caleb, you would think an actual journalist would try to get more current coaches on the record with what is going on this year. But you are a Packers fan who thinks he is a journalist.
"Packers fan." (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2828649-what-happened-in-green-bay)
That's the zinger that probably cracks me up most.
Thanks for reading, Steve.
Hey now Tyler we have reasons to be suspicious. Maybe you could do a piece on the inordinate number of referees who have the same last name as referees from the 1970s and happen to live in Wisconsin. But I am liking the piece so far.
Shit sorry, not anymore after you got run out of town?
Claiming Tyler is a fan of any team is easily the laziest comments many are making. This is about Ryan Poles and his drafting and development of Caleb. If you think this is about Caleb either your head is in the sand or you’re dumb as a box of rocks. This has nothing to do with this year. It’s about how the Bears got here with dysfunction…again.
"If you think this is about Caleb either your head is in the sand or you’re dumb as a box of rocks"
What in the hell are you talking about? The entire article is a hit piece on how Caleb acted with the former staff.
And clearly how Caleb has been with the current staff is relevant considering he included a quote from a current Bears coach in part 2.
Hit piece? You mean the truth? If you watched any games last year and can’t see everything talked about in the article evident in his play again your head is in the sand. Jumping to Tyler is a Packers fans is evidence of head in the sand as well. Go listen to Tyler’s interview yesterday with CHGO. He clearly says Caleb has talent and Ben Johnson is the best coach for him to succeed. Ryan Poles set Caleb and franchise for failure by not evaluating all QBs available and defaulting to Caleb.
Lol not a hit piece?
A long form article that is entirely made up of former coaches/FO members (all fired) shitting on a player without a single quote from the existing staff.
Even though he had a quote from a current Bears coach defending Caleb, he just conveniently left it out.
That is a hit piece through and through. And not his first one.
No comment on saving your quote from a current Bears coach either? Easy work getting endless quotes from former coaches who were all fired and then painted being as terrible coaches (i understand why they would want to defend themselves - they are not as bad as they were made out to be)
But c'mon dude, you got one single quote from a current Bears employee.
“For this three-part series, Go Long chatted with 32 sources. Coaches, scouts, execs, players and staffers inside Halas Hall guide readers through the sludge. Many have landed new jobs. To share their experiences without fear of retribution they’re granted a condition of anonymity.”
Curious how you know that he didn’t speak to a current staff member? You don’t.
Sorry if the truth isn’t what you agree with. The results speak for themselves but keep on about how the truth is a big piece.