Caleb Williams is transforming into the best version of himself. After a difficult start to the season, the Chicago Bears quarterback has played some of his best football over the past two weeks. He's led back-to-back 4th quarter rallies to get his team to 6-3 and a highly important rematch with the Minnesota Vikings. Nobody thought they would be here after starting 0-2, coming off that deflating 52-21 loss in Detroit. Williams' ability to weather the storm and keep improving is central to that revival.
Certain people deserve credit for that. Much of it goes to head coach Ben Johnson. He brought a proven system with him from the Lions and hired several assistants who understood how to communicate with a quarterback. Additionally, the Bears improved their offensive line and surrounded Williams with talented pass catchers. However, perhaps the most unheralded hero of this season is backup Case Keenum, who assumed a mentor role as a backup. Most people think Johnson had already lined him up as an option. It turns out that wasn't true. The coach needed an assist from an old friend, according to Dan Pompei of The Athletic.
It was somebody Bears fans probably remember well.
Given his impact on Jared Goff with the Detroit Lions, Johnson was confident he could enhance Williams’ play, but he was also aware that, as a first-time head coach, he would be challenged in ways that could detract from the attention he would be able to give his quarterback. He also knew he had a rookie offensive coordinator and a rookie quarterbacks coach.
What he needed, he thought, was a veteran backup quarterback who could set a standard and become an archetype...
...Johnson didn’t know Case Keenum. Neither did any of his assistants. Bill Lazor did, however, and he had worked with Johnson on the Miami Dolphins. Lazor had been with Keenum as the Houston Texans’ senior offensive assistant since 2023 and told Johnson that Keenum’s work with C.J. Stroud was a significant factor in Stroud winning offensive rookie of the year.
Bill Lazor did the Chicago Bears one last service.
The former offensive coordinator has a complicated legacy with the organization. He arrived in 2020 and oversaw the last team to make the playoffs. Lazor also had a hand in drafting Justin Fields and overseeing his development. Most people lump him in with the failed tenure of Matt Nagy. Still, the man was well-liked inside Halas Hall for the two years he was there. Now it seems he was instrumental in helping the Bears set their new young quarterback up for success. His vote of confidence in Case Keenum helped secure the quarterback's spot in Chicago, and the video above demonstrates the significance of this decision to Williams' ascent.
It serves as a reminder that there were no hard feelings with how things ended for Lazor. This is a business. Things happen. He was professional enough not to let his exit stop him from doing a favor for a former team.
