The Chicago Bears realized even last year that they made a mistake with the structure of their quarterback room. While they were happy with Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent, they soon understood there wasn't enough experience in that group. They had nobody with extensive NFL experience who could advise Williams whenever he encountered unfamiliar situations. Head coach Ben Johnson had no intention of making the same mistake. One of his first moves since arriving in Chicago was bringing Case Keenum in from Houston.
It was a clever move. The 37-year-old Keenum has a rare combination of extensive experience as a backup and being an accomplished starter at times in his career. That unique track record gave him a perspective most backups lack. Not to mention he's already worked with young high draft picks in the past, like Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, and C.J. Stroud. Cameras provided irrefutable evidence if people weren't sure what he could offer Williams. They caught Keenum giving the Bears starter some crucial information on the true nature of winning football games.
"Every game I've ever played, there's three plays. Two or three plays make the difference. And keeping in perspective, that's why we go over there and grind swords, 'cause we can't miss a sword. If it's there, we gotta hit it. Like that's what we're paid to do...is hit the ones that are dialed up and then make Superman plays out of it."
Case Keenum knows what he's talking about.
History is on his side. Williams can attest to the three-play rule. He executed it in the Bears' win over Green Bay in the 2024 season finale. It started with the 32-yard touchdown to D.J. Moore on a swing pass. Then it was the 15-yard conversion to Rome Odunze to get Chicago to midfield with under a minute left and the 18-yard strike to Moore to get in field goal range. Those three plays put the Bears in position to beat the Packers for the first time in six years. Hit the throws when the opportunity is there. That is the responsibility of every quarterback. Case Keenum hammering that mentality into Williams is exactly what the Bears were missing last season.
