O’Donnell: Ben & Caleb are fine — but J.J. McCarthy does nothing but win
BEING A CHICAGO BEARS FAN means seldom getting to say that you're satisfied.
The energy of yet another extended NFL opening weekend can't mask that condition.
It's a plague as predictable as holiday-crush gate waits on the tarmac at O'Hare.
Sure there have been exceptions to the gruel — Mike Ditka's VHS-age Super Bowl champs, Lovie Smith's three-year run up to SB 41, even Matt Nagy's stunning 12-4 debut season a mere seven years ago, which proved to be a Museum Campus mirage.
BUT MONDAY NIGHT, when Ben Johnson's first call card is poised to baffle the nation vs. the visiting Vikings (7 p.m.; ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Deportes, AM-1000)?
Survey says an opening flip of fortune is — “unlikely.”
Primary reasons: Vikings ownership positions its football ops side to succeed. The Bears don't.
Minnesota's ruling Wilf family has an intriguing business vitae. But when it comes to correctly sequencing the vital vertical of GM — head coach — QB, the hiring practices of the Wilfs sparkle.
THE LATEST TRIDENT IS Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, hired January 2022; Kevin O'Connell, hired February 2022 and J.J. McCarthy, the West suburban Nazareth Academy alum who's set to make his regular-season pro debut at Soldier Field after being chosen No. 10 overall, in April 2024.
Contrast that coherency with Ryan Poles, hired January 2022; head coach Johnson, hired January 2025; and Caleb Williams, drafted April 2024.
Tony Glover, once the harmonica rave of Minneapolis's edgy Dinkytown and an early influence on Bob Dylan, recorded a tune called, “Don't Let Your Right Hand Know What Your Left Hand Do.”
That song could be transported south and titled, “The Theme From Halas Hall.”
MOST OF NFL CHICAGO IS AGOG with anticipation of how the Ben & Caleb connection will debut in front of the eyes of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and world.
Some very sharp football minds are drawn to McCarthy.
He just doesn't lose games.
Since being offered a full ride by Iowa State's Matt Campbell in eighth grade, McCarthy's record as a starting QB includes:
· Nazareth (2018-19) — 26-2;
· IMG Academy (2020) — 8-0;
· Michigan (2021-23) — 27-1.
Whether computed by abacus or AI, that's a career aggregate of 61-3.
JIM HARBAUGH CALLED HIM “the greatest quarterback of all time at the University of Michigan” and Tom Brady (Class of '00) agreed.
Asked the secret to his QB loftiness earlier this week, McCarthy replied: “Success in the simple. I try to be completely present.”
He will be present Monday night, when the Vikings are likely to close as 1- to 2-point favorites.
So, too, will a paying Bears fan base that longs for lasting satisfaction.
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ED O'BRADOVICH AND DAN HAMPTON HAVE SIGNED on for two more years as wraparound howlers at WGN-AM (720). That's good news for most consistently outraged Bears fanatics.
Andy Masur will serve as compére Monday when “Hamp and O'B” begin their pregame growl at 6 p.m. The unabashed classicists will return after the Bears-Vikings final to snap away at the September moon.
O'Bradovich completed his warmup snips by telling the Daily Herald, “A new coach working with a second-year quarterback behind new guys on the offensive line and (Ben) Johnson doesn't play his starters all that much in three exhibition games?
“Can you tell me what ... is going on? Those guys need to be out there playing together. Does Johnson think these guys are going to get better by osmosis? Does he think they went 12-5 last year instead of 5-12? I hope I'm wrong.”
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WITH THE BEARS STILL PREPPING FOR MINNESOTA, the Chicago TV market has a fine lineup of storylines set for Sunday:
Noon, CBS-2 — Steelers (-3) at Jets — Aaron Rodgers vs. Justin Fields … A Week 1 showdown of discards and wild card wannabes.;
Noon, Fox-32 — Giants at Washington (-6) — Any chance to watch Jayden Daniels is worth the DVR space. … Giants OC Mike Kafka — a Northwestern alum — tries to regain momentum for a HC job.
3:25 p.m., CBS-2 --- Lions at Packers (-2½) — Ben Who? … DET will be more ferocious with Aidan Hutchinson back. … Micah Parsons' pricey pass pressure can only strengthen the GB secondary.
7:20 p. m., NBC-5 --- Ravens (-1½) at Bills — Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry should do nothing but run behind a flying wedge. … BUF fans continue to wait for the second coming of Cookie Gilchrist.
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.