No one is sugarcoating anything for players at Halas Hall and it was the way they wanted it when they complained about lack of accountability from the last coaching regime.
Coach Ben Johnson's frank talk with the offense on Wednesday might have been the catalyst for a Thursday practice with far more passing precision involved than in most practices so far, although the skeptics could properly point out the first team failed to get into the end zone in two-minute and during a red zone incursion at another point.
"I was pretty disappointed with the practice yesterday as a whole," Johnson said before Thursday's practice.
Johnson definitely hasn't shied away from criticizing quarterback Caleb Williams. His hollering might be a bit more subdued at camp lately than at the beginning of camp or in OTAs, as there are others to target. However, Williams still gets his share of criticism.
He also gets positive feedback.
“He came up to my office on that player day off (Sunday) and we highlighted what he's done well over those first four days and areas that he needs to improve for the next four, and we'll do the same thing on Friday (off day),” Johnson said.
Sometimes he just gets a bit of advice. Silvy and Waddle on th Bears' flagship station had Williams in for an interview and he told them the helmet mic was going out on him in practice.
"We were marching down the field and the headset starting going out on me and I got kind of frustrated," Williams told Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman. "Ben came over to me after and he was like ‘have a few plays in mind if that ever happens.’
"That’s more of accountability to me and to this team and having a few plays that if the clock’s running down, headset goes out or it’s spiking or something/ You can’t hear the play call, it’s a 'have a few plays, go out there and don’t go out there palms up and complain' and things like that. Keep going."
Handling criticism seems like one of the last things Williams should be good at if you believed some of those who complained about his college nail painting, crying in his mother's arms, controlling father or any other extraneous rumor mongering when he was drafted.
However, Johnson says Williams takes the criticism the way a quarterback should.
“I think the way he was raised was one that was pretty demanding," Johnson said. "I don't think you become the No. 1 recruit in the nation without being pushed to a certain degree. So, he's used to that and I think he likes it.
"We've had those conversations. He knows what's coming and we're getting to the point now where I don't even have to say anything as much. He's as hard on himself as I'm being on him, and he's disappointed when we're not spitting the plays out in the huddle the way we should or we're not taking the proper drop, or our eyes aren't in the right place. So, he's getting to that point where it's more self-correction and we're off and running from there. So, I'm really excited about where he's at mentally.”
Williams said he wouldn't have it any other way.
"You want the good," he said. "You're in here so often, so much, so long, going over these details, trying to figure it all out. If it looks good, you want to know, because you want to keep doing it over and over, you want to keep doing that same thing over and over and over if it's good. So, that little bit of ‘that was a good rep’, that this and that, whether it's a pass and you're getting through your reads or you're taking the first read, good ball placement. You just want to keep doing that same thing and over and over, over and over again.
"Obviously if it's bad, you want to hear that, too, because you want to go out there and be able to execute and run it exactly how the coach wants it. That's what we're striving for.”
No one on this team should complain about any tough coaching. It's what all the players said they wanted and they get it.
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