Case Keenum has played for his fair share of strong offensive minds in his long NFL career. He started out with Gary Kubiak in Houston. Then he spent a year with Kevin O'Connell in Washington and two with Kevin Stefankski in Cleveland. Each man had their own specific ways for developing a quarterback. Keenum is finding out that the same is true for Ben Johnson. How he's handling Caleb Williams involves many typical things you'd expect from a sharp offensive coach, but also a few that are somewhat surprising.
Keenum revealed to Courtney Cronin of ESPN that Johnson hasn't been doing anything to make life easier for Williams, especially in regards to learning the offense. One such method is something many coaches wouldn't be willing to do these days.
"Ben has put a lot of pressure on us as quarterbacks to handle playcalls without wristbands out there," Keenum said. "New playcalls every day. Long ones with double kills and possible alerts."
Wristband call sheets have been a staple of the NFL for decades. They are meant for quick and discreet play calling, preventing opponents from easily deciphering signals and reducing miscommunication on the field. Running back Tom Matte invented them in 1965 when he was forced to take over as quarterback due to injuries. Williams used one last year.
Case Keenum likely knows why Johnson is taking it away.
While the wristband can be an incredibly useful tool, it can also be somewhat of a crutch. Quarterbacks can lean on them to handle everything and not try harder to actually learn the entire offense. It seriously discourages flexibility in changing game situations and can often lead to communication errors. Johnson knows he can't always walk Williams through every situation on the field. Sometimes the game is moving too fast for that. The quarterback must be able to think on his feet and make necessary adjustments to save the offense from bad situations. That can't happen unless he knows the system inside and out.
Yes, it is more difficult this way. Yes, it will require more time to find consistency. However, the benefits in the long run are far more substantial. When quarterbacks have full freedom of control in an offense, they play their best. It's been true for many, many years. The key is whether Williams is up to the challenge. Case Keenum is there to help.
