Thuney praises Caleb Williams’ leadership as Bears prep for Vikings

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 4 hours ago

CHICAGO - The trade for left guard Joe Thuney was probably one of Chicago’s most praised player decisions of the offseason, especially after how often quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked last season.

Some of those sacks were on Williams, as he had a tendency to hold onto the ball too long.

But, from what he has seen in training camp so far, Thuney said Williams is constantly working to improve and be a better quarterback.

“I think he’s done a great job of telling us the plus and snap count and everything and there’s so many things that go on that as offensive linemen, (I) just listen to what I need to hear and try and execute on that play,” Thuney said. “But, Caleb works tirelessly. He’s always in his playbook. He’s in early, in late, working hard and I think he’s done a great job as camp’s gone and just being a leader for this offense and getting it going.”

Since becoming the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Ben Johnson has made it clear that he declares perfection. He is very detail-oriented and runs a complex offensive scheme.

His passion for execution and perfection has shown itself so far in training camp, according to Thuney, but Thuney has also seen how upbeat and energetic Johnson is.

“He’s such a passionate guy,” Thuney said. “So much energy, so much enthusiasm for this game and he’s so smart about this game and he communicates so well of what he wants us to accomplish and how he wants us to approach certain plays and it’s been great just learning day by day in this camp, just the more details and more details of how to execute better and it’s neverending and we’re always trying to get better and better. But, he’s been so positive and he’s just been great.”

Despite the emphasis Johnson has placed on perfection, the Bears have struggled in training camp and in their third preseason game, with pre-snap penalties and slow starts offensively.

While Thuney thought the offense had a good camp overall, he also said Chicago is trying to play mistake-free football and eliminate those pre-snap errors.

“I felt like it was a great camp. You’re just growing together, mastering the offense together, speaking the language with the calls together and everyone being on the same page and seeing the game the same way and I think it’s going really well. But, (everyone is) striving for improvement all the time,” Thuney said. “We’re always working, always trying to get better pre-snap and just cut those things out, and I think as a unit, we’re just trying to really play more mistake-free ball. But, it’s just part of it and trying to improve as a group.”

Chicago will play their first game against the Minnesota Vikings on Mon. Sept. 8 (7:15 p.m. / ABC). They will follow that with another division matchup when they face the Detroit Lions on Sun. Sept. 14 (Noon / FOX).

Both teams have talented defenses, with Minnesota frequently blitzing and the Lions having defensive end Aidan Hutchinson back.

If the Bears want to make the playoffs, they will have to win division games despite being in the most talented division in the NFL. The NFC North got another talented player when the Dallas Cowboys traded one of the best defensive players in the NFL, Micah Parsons, to the Green Bay Packers. The Bears will not have to face Parsons until Week 14 on Sun. Dec. 7 (Noon / FOX), but should expect that every team in this division can realistically make the playoffs and have the goal of making the Super Bowl.

This makes the first two games of the season even more crucial in setting the tone for the rest of the year.