Has Ben Johnson repeated a Bears mistake made with Justin Fields?

In his second Bears season and first with Getsy's offense, the Bears put Fields into a position with his left foot forward that he hadn't really used. It never seemed to make a positive difference for Fields except maybe early in the 2023 season after they had brought in DJ Moore.

In his second Bears season and first within Johnson's offense, Williams has started out in this same way at OTAs. This is a detail coach Ben Johnson insists on within his attack.

When Fields did this, he never really liked it. After he went to Pittsburgh, he had his right foot forward and was reported to have felt more comfortable.

"When I got here, the biggest thing was just, be on time and be accurate," Fields said via ESPN's report from Pittsburgh practices. "They didn't really care too much about footwork or that my left foot was up, right foot was up. They just said to me, 'Just close your eyes and whatever's most comfortable to you, do that.'

"So that's what I did, and right foot forward, which makes sense. I've been doing it my whole life."

Fields' play there was somewhat better, although it definitely wasn't good enough for the Steelers to invest real money in him as their starting quarterback.

Will this move with Williams work?

It can't be helped by the fact Williams takes about half the snaps from under center and his right foot is forward then.

"I go back, when I was young, someone told me it takes 21 days to learn a new habit and let it get into your unconscious."Bears coach Ben Johnson

Johnson took everyone back in time but only to January when he became Bears head coach. He told the players at the press conference including Williams to get used to feeling comfortable with being uncomfortable.

This type of thing is an example of what he was talking about then.

"It's what we're asking of all of these guys right now," Johnson said. "They're all doing some things a little bit different than what they've done in their past, whether at this level or in college, you're learning, you're growing. They are getting uncomfortable with it."

If Johnson's computations are right, Williams should be feeling good enough at it by the end of spring work to no longer even think about it. In fact, Johnson thinks he might not be bothered by it even now.

"I go back, when I was young, someone told me it takes 21 days to learn a new habit and let it get into your unconscious," Johnson said. "I don't know if that's true or not, but the good news is this: We had three or four good weeks on the grass with them in Phase II (OTAs), and that prior (voluntary) minicamp that we were able to get ahead of a lot of that."

The voluntary minicamp was at the start of draft week.

"(Williams) did a great job in the downtime, just going ahead and taking it and running with it, and when the coaches weren't around, as well," Johnson said. "We're not talking so much about the feet and the footwork anymore with him.

"It's more big-picture plays, routes, ball location, coverages. It's more big-picture stuff now."

Then again, it can't be easy for Williams when half of his snaps this year will come from under center and his right foot is the one forward then.

When Fields started with his left foot forward in Chicago, he said he felt more comfortable with it later in the year but apparently wasn't based on what happened in Pittsburgh.

Like with everything else going on now on the field with Williams, more will be clear about whether he really is more comfortable with it after the team finally makes him available to reporters later during offseason work.

Until then, Johnson's assessment that Williams has put his best foot forward will have to do.