Kurt Warner is excited about what he’s seeing from the Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams partnership

Kurt Warner is excited about what he’s seeing from the Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams partnership

Kurt, thanks for joining us. We appreciate it. It It’s weird because I I I know what I want to ask you, but it’s it’s going to be a little bit clumsy, so bear with me on this, okay? When it comes to Caleb Williams and watching some of the mechanical stuff that he still probably has to get better at as a quarterback, I do feel like he’s got one of those intangible things cuz we saw it last year in Washington where he drove the Bears down seemingly to a winning drive and he’s done it again in this game. I feel like the game kind of slows down for him at the end. And there’s there’s something about him at the end that I feel as comfortable as I’ve felt with a Bears quarterback in a long time if I know that he’s got the ball in his his hands with a chance to win it. I mean, it’s what you’re looking for. I mean, you can look across the league for six weeks and how many games come down to that drive, that play, three points at the end of a game. And so, um, I mean, obviously that’s that’s a good thing. You know, the one thing I would say about oftentimes in in two-minute drills is you really do go back to base plays. You go back to, you know, a handful of plays that we would have probably seven to eight plays um, you know, kind of our favorites or or my favorites, uh, answers for a lot of different things, uh, in those minutes. You know, it wasn’t an entire playbook. It wasn’t new plays that you put in um you know for that week. It was these are our base plays. This is what we’ve been doing since training camp. This is our two-minute drill every time we go out. Um and so oftent times quarterbacks can be more comfortable in those moments. You know, as long as they don’t allow the pressure to get to them and you know Caleb has dealt with that pressure and been in those moments so many times that um that the game often simplifies, defenses simplify. you know, talk about the prevent defense, whether it’s prevent or not, you know, whether they’re playing soft or not, they’re just more base in those situations. So, you’re not seeing as many different looks. Um, you know, so it’s a great sign and and it’s one of the reasons why I think quarterbacks have more success um you know, in those moments maybe or it seems a little bit easier. uh they can play a little more free. And I think that’s probably, you know, to your point with Caleb, I think anytime we see him playing free, he’s the best version of himself. Now, you want that freedom to be within structure. That’s what Ben’s always talking about is, you know, we want him to play fast and we want him to play without thinking and reacting, but it’s within the structure of what we’re asking him to do. And I think he’s getting more and more comfortable. I thought he played a really good game last night. um you just top to bottom just making plays and there’s still moments where I think he plays fast and he plays a little bit tight um but he’s getting more and more comfortable and I think playing more and more free within the system uh each game we see Kurt Warner with us. Kurt is in Europe because the NFL is taking over the world one week and one game at a time and every Sunday morning Kurt is somewhere else calling a game and there’s another one coming. It’s unbelievable. Let’s hope he gets a better one than the one he had to watch this past Sunday. Mike, that was that that that was rough. And we all we all feel for Justin on whatever empathetic level that whether we know him or however, you know what I mean? Like that was Yep. Oh, that was rough stuff to watch. That’s for sure. But um yeah, it was a tough offensive uh performance really by both teams. I don’t really know what we were trying to do, but ended up being a close game. It came down to the end. We had a little bit of drama in it. So, that’s what you hope for at the end of uh any game like this. But, yeah, I’m hoping the Jags and the Rams bring bring their offenses over here to London and uh we get to see some more fireworks this week. Do you know, we feel really good about about this win though? Like, and you just spoke about Caleb right there. And this is a this, you know, should we feel as good as we do about this burgeoning relationship between Ben and Caleb and the play we’re starting to see? I mean, I don’t know why not. Um, and I think you look at different scenarios, too. I mean, yesterday they get up big early and so you’re feeling good, but then they fall behind and then you’re like, “Oh, okay. Now we got to come back.” And they do that. And so, um, yeah, I just think that the nature of the different situations you’re seeing as well, that they’re not all easy situations. They’re not all easy games. Um, but being able to find ways to win at this stage, uh, with a new coach, with a new offense, um, you know, and all of those things. Yeah, I mean, I’m excited. Uh, I I, you know, I’m excited about what I’m seeing and the offense that’s out there. I mean, you know, there were times last year where, you know, it just didn’t look like a functioning offense. Uh, this offense does. And again, they’ve had moments they’ve sputtered and and games where they haven’t been as good, but I thought last night was as good as any they’ve played just in terms of mixing it up and they ran the football well and you know, some short passes that were big plays and then Caleb making big plays down the field and their playmakers getting involved. I just, you know, it just looked like a NFL offense should look. Um, and that to me is what excites me that we’re only six weeks in to this experience. Um, and you know, it sure looks to be going, you know, really well and going in the right direction. Um, and it excites you that six weeks in, you know, what what could it look like after 12 weeks? Um, you know, after 18 weeks, you know, what what is this offense going to look like? So, I do I do think you should be excited about what you’re seeing and they’re finding ways to get wins um in the process and that’s what it’s all about. Considering your story of of making it to the NFL, when you see a guy like Theo Benedict, a undrafted left tackle from Canada that that finds his way not just on an NFL roster, but is now the starting left tackle of the Bears. What’s your reaction to it? Well, I I think my biggest reaction is always I I I believe there’s talented players that are out there that, you know, don’t always get the opportunities that other guys get. And, you know, whatever that reason is and why they fell through the cracks or why they didn’t get an opportunity or whatever. Um, I think the cool thing is when they finally do and they show people that they are talented and you know, so many people doubt it or they can’t be because they they didn’t go the conventional route. Um, I just don’t think that’s the case. You know, there’s just a million different reasons and there’s a million talented players out there that sometimes guys get overlooked. And I remember when I was going through my journey is that all I kept saying to myself is I just want an opportunity to to show really myself more than anybody else. Like if I’m good enough because because I always thought I was. I always believed I could play. And I didn’t want to be looking back, you know, 20 and 30 years later and go, man, I I could have been that guy if I would have just had an opportunity. um or just, you know, be that guy that just constantly was envious because I thought I was good enough and and never got a chance. You just want that chance and then, you know, from there it’s am I good enough? You know, I have to prove it. And um and so it it’s cool to see guys like that get opportunities and do well because I think just like my journey did. It makes you know the scouts and the coaches look at guys that they may not look at otherwise just saying well he looks good even though he came from here or he’s doing this or he’s playing at that like but he looks good. Let’s give him a chance. maybe, you know, he’s, I guess, for lack of a better term, the next Kurt Warner, you know, the next guy that comes out of nowhere. And the more guys that do that, the more it opens up opportunities for other guys that got overlooked, you know, one step of the way, um, for somebody to give them a chance and uh, for them to be able to, you know, to to prove it just like uh, like we’ve been able to. Man, that’s really cool to have Curt Warner talk about a story like that. It’s Spiegel and Holmes right here on 670, the score. Um I you know I don’t know how you took in the game last night but um a lot of people watching the game on TV have seemed to have been upset with Troy Aman in terms of being whether it’s critical of Caleb or pointing out when Caleb was inaccurate a couple of times. Um you know and there was several different instances. We’re going to talk about it later but I I I you know what we’re watching is is like a kid growing in progress. So, like I I was okay with it, but I wonder how you feel about, you know, when a quarterback, a Hall of Famer is criticized for just talking about a game that’s in front of him. How how does that register to you? And I’m not sure if you were watching it last night or not, Kurt? No, I didn’t get to watch it. I just watched the film um on my own, so I didn’t get to hear, you know, Troy’s comments. Um and and I just think that there’s just so many ways um to do it as an analyst and and I don’t know if there’s a right way. I think the thing you try to do when you go into analyzing is is try not to bring any of your bias to the broadcast. Like you come in and you may have feelings about who a guy is, love him, don’t like him, you know, these are his all of that stuff. Like we all have opinions that cover the game and analyze the game. And the goal when you come in and and you know do a game like on TV or or radio is you try not to bring that bias to the table and you let the game tell the story. So that’s I think the first part of it and then the second part of it is you know that bias can lead you to go oh he’s a secondyear quarterback so let me analyze him and give him you know all this leniency because he’s a secondyear quarterback. No no problem with that. You can or you can go the other route and go, “These guys are starting NFL quarterbacks. This is what I expect from a starting NFL quarterback.” And there’s to me nothing wrong with that either. That there should be a standard. There should be, you know, this is what you know h how young if you’re starting in this league, these are things you’ve got to be able to do. And you know, and I think you can come from it from that perspective as well. And so, you know, I think the one that I just saw was maybe, you know, a ball on like a shallow route that was, you know, a touch behind the guy. You know, he had big opportunity to make a big play. The ball was a touch behind him and and I think Troy, you know, said something about, you know, that idea. Got to have that ball out in front of him. Well, that’s a comment that you would make to everybody. Like, I look at it and go, “Okay, if if Troy was coaching Caleb the next day in the film room, what would he say to Caleb?” you know, he would say, “Caleb, got to get this on his front shoulder.” Like, look at the we got 40 yards of green grass on this play, you know, maybe more. Just got to give him a good ball, you know, and whatever that is. Technique was bad, whatever. Um, that’s what you would do. And so, I have no problem with an analyst saying the same thing on TV, like Caleb’s got to give him a better ball right there. Might not have been awful, but a better ball makes it easier to catch. a better ball leads to 40 yards instead of maybe what’s four or five yards. And so I just think there’s a lot of different perspectives that you can have. I don’t think any of them are wrong. Um, you know, based on on how you want to tell the story. Um, but that’s why, you know, I would never have a problem with that. Like if I’m if I’m playing in that game, you know, if I’m Caleb and I had that route and I threw the ball and it was behind my guy and I saw what was in front of him, uh I mean, I don’t need somebody to say, “Oh, well, you that was an okay pass and he should have caught it.” I have no problem with them saying, “Put it in front of him.” Like, you’re an NFL quarterback. It was an eight- yard pass. Throw it where it needs to be and we have a big play and that’s part of your job. And and I know every quarterback’s going to miss. We’ve all done it. And so it to me I don’t look at that and go, “Oh my gosh, it’s overcritical because I can’t make every throw.” You just look at it and you say to the thing, you the same things that I would say to myself. Um you know, if I was analyzing that play, like if Caleb was analyzing that play of himself, what would he say? Would he give himself a pass like, “Ah, it wasn’t too bad.” Or would he say, “You’re good enough. put it on his front shoulder and let him go. And so that to me is is just kind of how I look at the big picture of of you know being the analyst in those moments. Kurt, thanks so much for the time and moving things around. We truly appreciate it. No, thanks for your flexibility, guys. So, it’s a little later here, so kind of bouncing around and figuring it out, but um but we’ll get back on schedule next week and uh we’ll talkurt. That’s Kurt Warner. We talk with him every week. That’s good stuff. Let’s bring uh bring the conversation back when we talk Troy later on. Yeah, we can definitely do that cuz people are mad at Troy and I’m I get it, but I’m kind of where Kurt is on all of that.

On the Spiegel & Holmes Show, Westwood One and NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner explained why he likes what he’s seeing from the partnership between Bears head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams. Warner also defended ESPN analyst Troy Aikman for his criticism of Williams in the Bears’ win against the Commanders on Monday Night Football.

#ChicagoBears #CalebWilliams #KurtWarner #BenJohnson #Bears

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