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Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel knows almost exactly what the Bears<\/a> are going through as quarterback Caleb Williams and new coach Ben Johnson try to get on the same wavelength. They\u2019re laying the groundwork for what they hope is an enduring connection, and it starts with seeing the game the same way so that Williams is an extension of Johnson on the field.<\/p>\n That process is complicated and turbulent.<\/p>\n McDaniel went through it in 2022 when he took over the Dolphins and inherited quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick two years earlier.<\/p>\n There was quite a bit of confrontation along the way, but it made Tagovailoa better: He was top-10 in MVP voting the first season, a Pro Bowl selection the next and the NFL leader in completion percentage after that. His passer rating went from 88.8 before McDaniel\u2019s arrival to 102.5 since.<\/p>\n As McDaniel thought about Williams \u2014 he met him nearly a decade ago while coaching at a QB Collective camp and has followed his career closely \u2014 and Johnson trying to figure each other out, he urged them to embrace inevitable conflict as a path to growth.<\/p>\n \u201cTo get to the spot that you need to, Caleb is going to be challenged, and then [Johnson\u2019s] true intent of how you\u2019re coaching and what your motivations are come through when you go through stuff together,\u201d McDaniel said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt may seem in the short term that, from the player\u2019s perspective, the coach is coming at you \u2014 or from the coach\u2019s perspective, the player might be getting sensitive or misinterpreting you. There\u2019s no way around it; you have to go straight through those types of scenarios because a real relationship is developed not in perfect conditions, but by going through stuff together.\u201d<\/p>\n McDaniel philosophized eloquently on the subject for a few minutes before concluding, \u201cUltimately, you have to go to a place where there\u2019s a little friction before you can really work with true transparency, clarity and efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n Those are wise words for Johnson and Williams from someone several steps ahead of them in his work with Tagovailoa.<\/p>\n Williams and most of the Bears\u2019 starters won\u2019t play when they host the Dolphins in their preseason opener Sunday, but he\u2019ll still get a valuable lesson in his first opportunity to listen to Johnson call a game.<\/p>\n It\u2019ll be another step toward aligning their visions, which can be a tough adjustment even for veteran quarterbacks. When Williams heard McDaniel\u2019s comments, he smiled and nodded emphatically in confirmation. He and Johnson have had some arguments already and each moved them closer to understanding each other.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause Ben and I care so much and are so passionate about winning, we\u2019ve had a few moments where we clash,\u201d Williams told the Sun-Times. \u201cIt\u2019s not a clash like, \u2018I hate you.\u2019 It\u2019s like a brotherly clash. You\u2019re just two fiery people getting after it. You love each other and you care for each other, and you also care about where you\u2019re at and what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n \u201cThose moments are important. Ben and I actually clashed recently, and I ended up being wrong. Then we sat and discussed the moment and what he wants from me, and you just keep moving along… It was more like, \u2018I understand, I get it.\u2019 I want that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams wanted expert coaching last season, when he was up and down as a rookie and didn\u2019t seem to get much help from coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who were fired in November. He never threw them under the bus publicly, but when he talks about Johnson, it\u2019s easy to infer that he wasn\u2019t getting what he needed from his previous coaches.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what I was craving \u2014 the consistent, hard coaching and the consistent knowledge that he gives me,\u201d Williams said of Johnson.<\/p>\n Most importantly, perhaps, is that Williams trusts what Johnson tells him even if he doesn\u2019t love hearing it at the time.<\/p>\n He already has seen enough to be certain that Johnson is \u201ca smart, smart, smart coach and a great guy,\u201d and can draw a straight line from things Johnson says in meetings to what happens on the practice field. Disputes and all, Williams said, \u201cIt\u2019s been working, it\u2019s been enjoyable, and a lot more smiles for me than last year.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams\u2019 job is to listen and learn like Tagovailoa did, but it\u2019s hardly a one-way street. Johnson spent the last four seasons coaching Jared Goff with the Lions, and he\u2019d be hardheaded to force Williams into that mold. They are totally different players, and Johnson said from the start he wasn\u2019t going to simply drop the Detroit playbook on the table<\/a>.<\/p>\n Johnson is tasked with championing Williams without placating him. He should be his biggest supporter, but also someone who persistently gives him the hard truth when he gets it wrong. No coach in the league is more known for getting that part right than McDaniel.<\/p>\n Going too far in either direction can ruin a quarterback. Eberflus and Waldron didn\u2019t give Williams nearly the accountability he needed last season, and he sometimes didn\u2019t realize he was doing something wrong because of it. Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores tilted so egregiously the other way that Tagovailoa called him \u201ca terrible person,\u201d and McDaniel needed to boost his belief.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re measuring something that you can\u2019t totally measure \u2014 you have to build confidence while creating the relationship of accountability,\u201d McDaniel said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fine line that you have to assess off the player\u2019s confidence, because you\u2019re not getting anything close to what you want from a quarterback unless they are playing confident.\u201d<\/p>\n Confidence probably hasn\u2019t been an issue for Williams since he was 10 and decided he needed to play quarterback if he wanted control over wins and losses. Self-assurance won\u2019t be a problem. And as long as he\u2019s receptive to Johnson\u2019s critiques and willing to use \u201cclashes\u201d as building blocks, he has an opportunity to climb the way Tagovailoa did.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n