The Chicago Bears are in the second week of OTAs, and quarterback Caleb Williams met with the media following the fifth voluntary workout of the spring.

Following a report from Seth Wickersham’s new book, which highlighted initial concerns from Williams about being drafted by the Bears, everyone was waiting to hear from Williams and get his take. Williams opened his press conference by addressing the pre-draft report directly — handling it like a pro — and fielded additional questions related to those pre-draft concerns. He also addressed other topics, including working with head coach Ben Johnson and adjusting footwork and quarterback mechanics

Here’s everything Williams said during his Wednesday media availability:

Opening Statement

“Good to see everybody. Let’s get this started. First, I’ll start off with it is what everybody would love to ask about, is this whole storm that happened. It wasn’t something that we wanted to happen at this point. We’re focused on the present, we’re focused on now. We’re focused on trying to get this ship moving in the right direction. I think, so far, that’s what we’ve been doing. But, for this to come out, it’s been a distraction, so coming up here and talking about it and addressing it is important today. That’s what we’re here to do. Next is all that went down, all that was said. Yeah, I had a good visit at the other place, Minnesota, with (Vikings Head Coach) Kevin O’Connell, a good staff and all of that. Obviously, he just won the Coach of the Year Award and things like that, so, obviously, a good staff and things like that.

“But, something that keeps getting lost, something that keeps getting, I think, not being addressed the way it needs to be, is the fact that I went on that visit first, then came here, and then after I came here, I went back home, talked to my Dad, and all of the things that were supposed to be these big things that everybody’s been talking about recently — one, never happened, in the sense of they were all thoughts, they were all ideas. I think if you’re in the situation, I think if your son or daughter, anybody, is in the situation to be in that position, I think you think about all of the options. You look at it, the history and the facts and all these different things, and those are thoughts that go throughout your head in those situations. All of those are thoughts. Then, after I came on my visit here, it was a deliberate answer, and deliberate and determined answer that I had, is that I wanted to come here. Just like (Head Coach) Ben (Johnson) spoke about, obviously, the past years, as everybody knows, it’s a fact that quarterback play, there hasn’t been a 4,000-yard passer, there are all of these different things that come up. Being able to have those thoughts is, I think, fair, to be able to have good and bad thoughts.

“But like I said, I came here on a visit, and like I said, just like Ben said, it’s a challenge to be able to come in here and try and turn it around. That was the main goal of all of that. Through all of what was going on, through all of what happened, last year and previous years, I think that was enticing. I think that was something that was glaring to me, that I want to come here and be the guy and be a part and be a reason on why the Chicago Bears turned this thing around. That last thing that was said, in all of that, I think, was the most important thing, is that I wanted to be here, that I love being here. I love my teammates. I love all the people that got me here — family, friends, (General Manager) Ryan (Poles), (President and CEO) Kevin (Warren), Flus (former Head Coach Matt Eberflus) and (former Offensive Coordinator) Shane (Waldron), all those guys that went through that process with me to get me here.

“All of those things, like I said, were thoughts, but the main goal and the main objective of being here is to turn it around, that’s why I was selected number one. That’s what we’re here to do. That’s what they brought me here to do. That’s what they brought all these guys here to do — (OL) Joe (Thuney), (WR) DJ (Moore), all of these different guys, and that’s why they brought Ben (Johnson) here. It’s a challenge, and we look at those challenges and we don’t laugh, we look at them really, really seriously. We go attack them to the best of our ability to go and change it and turn it around.”

On last season

“You look at and you know the challenge. First-year guy, new coach, offensive coordinator, and then a new coach for me, a new situation, new all of these different things. I wasn’t at a point where I looked at it and was like, ‘I knew this would happen.’ Nobody, I think, would sit back, and especially after you go, you know, four and two in the first six weeks, you don’t sit back and wonder and ponder on the bad. You face it when the bad comes, and that’s what we did.”

On “trusting” that he is “now in good hands”

“One, I have utmost respect. There are things that I’ve done throughout my years of training and learning and working hard and things like that, and this past year was a bump — there was good, bad and indifferent. Being able to look at that and understand that I still threw six picks in the National Football League, and I had 3,500 total (yards), or something like that, or whatever it was, and 20 touchdowns. That’s not where I want to be, that’s not where I’m going to be, but it’s a step in the right direction. Like I said, there was some good, bad and indifferent, and you have to look at those things and you have to understand that all the good, all the bad and all the indifferent is going to be good for me in many years to come. That’s how I look at it. I still have all the confidence in myself. I think my teammates believe in me. I think that’s shown on game day. How much I love and care for those guys and want to go win, I think it shows up on gameday.”

On head coach Ben Johnson

“I think y’all have been able to see it. When he gets up here, you get a little taste of how he is. He’s always laser-focused. He encourages and he pushes you and challenges you to be at your best as a team, offense, defense and special teams, it doesn’t matter the position. He’s sharp, he’s a guy that wants to win. Being here, being the head guy, and to be honest, he’s consistent with it every day. Him being here and being the head guy and doing all of those things and being consistent with it, so far it’s been awesome and I think everybody’s been enjoying it.”

On continued development and “previous observations being more useful”

“I wouldn’t say there were times of it being more useful. At that time of all the things that were going down and where we’re at now, many weeks in, new coaches, we’re on this freight train and starting to pick up speed, it’s a lot of learning, a lot of things going on. I think the timing of it, it’s not ideal, but we’re here, it happened, we learned from it. I think it’s an experience for myself and, obviously, for everybody else. We’re focused on now, present day, and we’re not here to talk about the past and discuss the past anymore.”

On if he is “watching film now”

“Yeah (laughter). That was a funny one that came out. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film, it was more or less the sense of learning ways to watch film and be more efficient, learning ways to pick up things better. That was a funny one that came out, in context, and how I was trying to portray it, it didn’t get portrayed that way. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to watch film, it was trying to figure out the best ways and more efficient ways so that I can watch more film, I can gather more information, so that when I do go out there on gameday, that information I gathered through Monday, when we got back, all the way up to whatever day the gameday is, so that when I get out there, I can gather it, I see it, I can react, and it’s not me sitting there thinking so much about the rules and these different things. It’s more of a reaction game at that point, a muscle memory.”

On Johnson’s “teaching of the shortcuts when watching film”

“I think that Ben (Johnson) has been extremely detailed. When he talks about the plays, when he talks about the pass, run, screen, play-action, he talks about them really in depth — what we love them against, what we don’t love them against, things like that. Just have an idea, going into practice, going into, soon, gamedays and things like that, it’s going to be nice for something that we’ve been repping and getting after. I think that’s been one of the things that’s been really awesome, is the detail, him really been on top of that. He’s been in it for six years, been his offense for six years, so he’s really on top of it. We’re only trying to catch up, I’m only trying to catch up to him, and be on top of the details as much as possible.”

On if he is “worried that the book is going to be a distraction”

“No. That’s why I came up here today, to address this, and actually speak on some of the things that were, at this moment, out of context, and also some of the things that I want to clarify, like what we just spoke about, and watching film and things like that. Obviously, my information that I know now was not the same as last year, whether it’s fronts, defenses, blitzes, whether it’s offense and things like that. Speaking on it, like, (QB) Case (Keenum). He comes in here and he’s been in many different offenses and things like that, many different teams and all of this. When he comes in here and he hears something, it may be a different name, but it’s the same exact thing. That sort of thing is on a steady trend the longer that I play.”

On internal conversations following the publishing of the story

“Obviously, we spoke about it, just because it’s something that came out, and it was this huge, out of the blue, kind of thing that popped up. Spoke about it with Ryan (Poles) and (Special Advisor to the President/CEO & Chief Administrative Officer) Ted (Crews) and all of these different people, just to make sure that we’re all on the same page of actually what wanted to be said and put out and things like that. That’s why we’re, also, here today addressing it, to make sure everything’s cleared up and clarified.”

On if his father “speaks” for him

“No (laughter). I actually shut my Dad down quite a bit. He has ideas. He’s a smart man, and so I listen, and always listen. I’m very fortunate to be in this position in the sense of playing QB, but also very fortunate to have a very strong-minded father. We talk very often. My mom and my dad are my best friends. Being able to have conversations with them, to understand that everything they say also is portrayed on me. I think that’s the part of it. But other than that, no. Like I said, I’m very fortunate to have one, a father who’s super strong-minded, who’s always there, always wants the best for his kid. I think that any of y’all that has a kid or anything like that, a niece or a nephew that you love so dearly, they try and help, and you try and help and put them in positions that are the best position that you can. That’s all he tries to do.

“But, no, no, no, definitely a grown man (laughter). I shut him down quite a lot, just because, in season, out of season, something that you have to do. He cares so much about me and my future. We’ve been along this journey so long together that all he wants is the best for me. If anything happens, he’s super high headed, and it’s more of like, ‘All right, go ahead and go away, reset,’ and things like that. Love them to death and things like that. Like I said, super fortunate to have them. We have talks about it, understanding that it’s a right place and a right time, and then there are times where it’s not.”

On “if there is anything else coming out from that chapter of the book”

“I honestly don’t care. Like I said, all of those things are in the past, all of those things have happened already. We’re here, focused on the future. We’re here, focused on the present, and really trying to get this train going and have this thing picking up steam and choo-choo-ing along.”

On adjusting footwork and quarterback mechanics

“I guess it’s, ‘The Ben Johnson effect, the Ben Johnson effect,’ right? (Laughter) He is going to get a kick out of that when he hears it. I think part of it is just that different coaches have different philosophies for things. That’s one of his things, foot up (in shotgun). I’ve been a right-foot-up guy for, typically, all of my career. I think I’ve done it once or twice throughout my time of playing QB, so it’s just one of his things. Like I said, the details, being on top of it, huddle, we call it PSP, but pre-snap procedure, all of these different things matter, especially in big games and big moments, all the little things come up. I think that’s important to him and it’s important to us. We have to get on top of it and be on top of it, from the head down. The Ben Johnson effect, right?”

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Everything Bears QB Caleb Williams said during his OTAs presser