Hours after NFL owners refused to ban the Eagles’ “tush-push” quarterback sneak (the league vote was 22-10 to keep it legal), new Bears head coach Ben Johnson gave reporters a sheepish grin and said he’s “not a big tush-push guy.” Then he doubled down with the most lukewarm football take of the offseason:
“Does it become an explosive play ever? … I like explosive plays. I like big plays.” — Ben Johnson said as quoted by the Chicago Sun Times.
Translation for us Lions fans:
“We don’t have the stomach for short-yardage trench warfare, so we’ll just hope for a bomb on 4th-and-1.”
Soft.
Fluffy.
Perfectly Bear-y.
Ben Johnson Ben Johnson soft on tush push
Meanwhile in Detroit: Dan Campbell’s Ready to Body-Surf the Pile
While Johnson was downplaying a play he might need in December slush, Dan Campbell was busy pumping iron and praising the Eagles for “perfecting” the sneak:
“Philly found something—it’s up to everyone else to stop it. I’m a hard YES on keeping it legal.” — Campbell said earlier this year.
That’s the difference between kneecap-biting mentality and Windy City waffle. Campbell sees a legal edge and wants to weaponize it; Johnson sees the same edge and worries it’s not flashy enough for his play sheet.
Why “Explosive Plays Only” Is a Loser’s Mindset
Fourth-and-1 decides playoff games. Ask any Eagles fan.
Weather reality. Soldier Field in December isn’t exactly “chuck-and-duck” territory. Ask Justin Fields how that felt.
Identity crisis. Chicago historically prides itself on bully-ball (“Monsters of the Midway,” right?). Your new coach just told the locker room he’d rather throw a fade than win ugly in the A-gap.
Circle Week 2: Lions vs. Bears at Ford Field
Picture this: Dan Campbell rolls out a jumbo set—Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell book-ending the line, Aidan Hutchinson checked in as an extra tight end, and Sam LaPorta stacked just behind the guard. David Montgomery, who played QB in high school, crouches directly behind center, ready to receive the snap. At the snap, Montgomery plunges, Hutch and LaPorta drive the scrum forward, and Sewell seals the edge for a three-yard surge. First down, Ford Field erupts, and Campbell turns toward the Bears’ sideline with that trademark grin that says, “Stop it if you can.”
That’s not just trolling—that’s the vibe shift Detroit’s enjoyed since Campbell arrived: if it’s legal and it works, we’ll do it harder than you.
The Optics Don’t Help Johnson
Johnson was Campbell’s right-hand play-caller here. We loved him—for the deep shots and the ruthless short-yardage creativity.
He bolts for Chicago, inherits a roster starving for identity, then basically tells the world, “Meh…QB sneaks aren’t explosive.”
Bears fans, meet Year 1 headlines: “Why can’t Chicago convert 3rd-and-1?” (Spoiler: your coach thinks it’s boring.)
A Quick Refresher: Why the Tush-Push Survived
Packers proposed the ban (shocking).
Needed 24 owner votes; only got 10.
Lions, Eagles, Ravens, Jets, Patriots all backed keeping it.
Philly celebrated by posting a 26-minute montage titled “Push On.”
Packers went back to counting excuses in green and gold.
In other words, the league basically dared coaches to stop the play or copy it. Campbell accepted the dare. Johnson shrugged.
Bottom Line for One Pride
Chicago hired a smart, innovative X-and-O guy. We know—we watched him cook up flea-flickers in Detroit. But Wednesday’s quote felt like a coach already worried about optics instead of edge. If you can’t embrace a legal, proven short-yardage cheat code—especially after your biggest rival (that’s us) publicly champions it—you’re playing chess without the rooks.
So yes, Lions Nation, keep receipts:
When it’s 4th-and-inches in Week 2, watch who lines up to smash a QB sneak and who dials up another shotgun draw.
Ben Johnson may have the brains, but Dan Campbell’s got the backbone. And in the NFC North, backbone still wins games.