It was November 1940, deep in the chill of a Chicago December, when the Bears authored the most lopsided symphony of destruction the NFL had ever witnessed – a 73–0 championship evisceration of Washington. Decades later, the echoes of that ‘Monsters of the Midway’ dominance still whisper through Soldier Field’s corridors. Now, another maestro of his trade, Ben Johnson, steps onto the Chicago stage, armed with a generational talent at quarterback, Caleb Williams.
The city holds its breath, wondering if this pairing can conjure a modern masterpiece. A legend who knows a thing or two about transcendent talent needing the right environment, Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson, sees the blueprint clearly.
Protection first, playbook second: Johnson’s QB lab begins
“Uh, you know, it all depends on his relationship with Caleb and the protection that he provides for him,” Megatron told Kay Adams, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. “I think if he protects Caleb, we know Caleb has talent… he can help to create a formidable force over there on that offense if he can keep him upright.” Johnson’s assessment, grounded in his own Hall of Fame experience where protection was sometimes more myth than reality, zeroes in on the non-negotiable.
Forget the Heisman glitz (4.5K+ pass yds, 52 total TDs in ’22) or the Bears’ rookie passing record (3,541 yds in ’24). Megatron knows raw talent like Caleb’s – the arm that rewrote USC’s record books, the legs that birthed viral scrambles – is only potential until the trenches hold. “I think at the end of the day that’s what it really falls down to,” he emphasized.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears Dec 26, 2024 Chicago, Illinois, USA Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams 18 warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field. Chicago Soldier Field Illinois USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDanielxBartelx 20241226_mcd_bd7_1
The Lions’ offensive fireworks under Johnson? Sure, the schemes dazzle, but Megatron anchors it: “A lot of that just comes down to: can you protect the quarterback? Can you give him time to, you know, make those reads and make the completions?” With Chicago’s overhauled O-line starting to resemble its own kind of ‘Truckasaurus’ (nod to The Simpsons’ monstrous creation), the foundation Megatron demands is being poured.
This focus on protection isn’t just theory; it’s baked into Johnson’s very first moves as head coach. Observers expecting a carbon copy of Detroit’s offense saw something different in OTAs: a deliberate, almost overwhelming flood of information directed at his rookie QB1. Why swamp Caleb Williams with the entire playbook before summer even peaks? In the CBA’s restrictive offseason, time is a currency more valuable than draft picks. Johnson wasn’t just cramming for a test; he was conducting an intense diagnostic.
From data to dynasty: Sculpting a scheme around Williams’ superpowers
By throwing every concept, route tree, and protection call at Williams, Johnson aimed to map the young quarterback’s neural pathways under fire. Which plays sparked instinctive brilliance? Where did hesitation creep in? This baptism by playbook wasn’t hazing; it was high-stakes data collection, a sculptor finding the grain in the marble. Johnson could’ve easily pulled a ‘my way or the highway,’ importing Detroit’s top-5 system wholesale – a system that made Jared Goff a 4,600-yard, 37-TD machine last year. But that’s not his play. As the narrative rightly noted, ‘Caleb Williams finally has an adult in charge.’
Johnson understands Goff ain’t Williams. Trying to fit Caleb’s electrifying dual-threat dynamism – the guy who racked 966 rush yds and 27 rush TDs in college – into a pure pocket-passer mold would be like trying to play Elden Ring with only the basic starter sword. Futile. Limiting. Johnson’s genius in Detroit was tailoring the system to his personnel’s strengths, maximizing what they did best.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Chicago Bears Rookie Minicamp May 10, 2025 Lake Forest, IL, USA Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson talks with tight end 84 Colston Loveland during Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Lake Forest Halas Hall IL USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDavidxBanksx 20250510_neb_bb6_0002
That adaptability, that willingness to build the scheme around the quarterback’s unique superpowers rather than force-fitting a square peg, is the Andy Reid-esque quality Chicago desperately needed. The OTA deluge was step one: identify Caleb’s comfort zones and growth edges. Step two, unfolding now in the quiet grind before camp, is crafting an offense uniquely Caleb’s – one that leverages his rocket arm on deep shots off play-action (where the Lions led the league at 36% usage), his escapability when structure breaks, and his budding connection with weapons like DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, while systematically shoring up areas needing polish.
The Windy City’s football saga has chapters of glory and decades of longing. Megatron’s words resonate because they speak a fundamental football truth: protect the prince, and the kingdom can flourish. Ben Johnson, by refusing the easy path of replication and instead embracing the meticulous, sometimes messy, work of building around his QB’s brilliance—even if it means drowning him in plays to teach him to swim—offers something Chicago hasn’t consistently had: a coherent, quarterback-centric vision. If the protection holds, and the scheme sings in Caleb’s key, those echoes of ’40 and ’85 might just find a new harmony rising from the Lake Michigan shore. The pocket is the promise. Johnson’s job is to keep it sacred.
The post ‘Megatron’ Speaks Out on How Ben Johnson can find success with Caleb Williams After Bears HC Swamped QB appeared first on EssentiallySports.