Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams
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Bears fans are eager to see the unique wrinkles of Ben Johnson's offense
Ben Johnson was hired away from the Detroit Lions to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears way back in January, so it’s fair to say that fans in the Windy City have been eagerly awaiting his coaching debut for the last eight-plus months. But in reality, it’s been far longer than that.
There have been promises of offensive-minded head coaches coming to Chicago to turn things around before. Mark Trestman was lauded as a ‘mad scientist’ upon his arrival in 2013, but that science experiment lasted only two seasons before Trestman was fired. Matt Nagy showed some promise in his first season as the head coach of the Bears, but after the 2018 season ended in tragic fashion, things fell apart quicker than you could say “Be You.”
What Ben Johnson will bring to the table in Chicago does feel far more sustainable, if only because there is a proof of concept going back to his time in Detroit. Sure, Trestman had success in the CFL, and Nagy arrived after coaching under Andy Reid for years, but the CFL is not the NFL, and Nagy never called the plays in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, Ben Johnson crafted and orchestrated the Lions offense, and the Bears learned the hard way that his unit had the sizzle and the steak, so to speak. Not only did Johnson and the Lions fool Chicago’s defense with the now-famous ‘Stumblebum’ trick play, weeks earlier he attempted to dial up a play against the Bears where offensive tackle Penei Sewell would throw a pass. It didn’t work, but it sent a message.
“I would almost say it’s borderline disrespectful,” Bears safety Kevin Byard said of Ben Johnson’s approach, per Dan Wiederer of The Athletic. “But I mean that in a good way. It’s from a place of ‘I believe in us.’”
Not everyone is on-board with this sort of approach. Consider Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney one of those who doesn’t jive with what Ben Johnson is looking to do.
“I think they try to embarrass people,” McKinney said, before a mid-season matchup with the Lions last year. “Personally, I’m not a big fan of that — trying to embarrass someone. I don’t really respect that. It is what it is.”
Perhaps predictably, Ben Johnson didn’t lose any sleep over the critique.
“To me, that was the greatest compliment I could have gotten,” Johnson told The Athletic.
How Soon Will We See Some Vintage Ben Johnson Trickery?
For now, Bears fans would be overjoyed to settle for a competent offense, even if it includes no funky wrinkles like Johnson’s group had in Detroit. But the entertainment value of it all is something that Ben Johnson keeps in mind as he concocts his game plan each week.
“I can’t say that’s the end-all be-all when it comes to creating a game plan,” Johnson said. “We want to win first and foremost. But if we can add some cool little wrinkles in the meantime, then why not?”
But with only a spring and summer’s worth of experience working with this new unit in Chicago, it may take some time before Ben Johnson is comfortable digging as deep into his bag of tricks as he was with the Lions.
“Trust is the No. 1 thing. And that’s what we’re in the midst of developing. It’s ‘Who can we trust to do what we ask and to a level where teammates can trust each other?’ Because to do all that fun, creative stuff, we need guys who are willing to do all the right things we ask them to,” Johnson says. “We’re not quite there yet. But I would love to start pushing.”
Bears Face Difficult Week 1 Opponent in Minnesota Vikings
Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears will face a familiar foe on the opening Monday night of the season. Both Detroit and Chicago are accustomed to playing the Minnesota Vikings twice a year, and for each of the last two seasons, defensive coordinator Brian Flores has implemented a culture of havoc on that side of the ball.
“He’s an outstanding coach,” Johnson told reporters, per Alec Lewis of The Athletic. “All kinds of issues. There isn’t a team that pressures more than Minnesota has over the last two years. I go back to what I admired most about New England when I was a young coach in this business — they could morph week in and week out. He does that.”
Likewise, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t lacking respect and admiration for Chicago’s new head coach either.
“It’s the run game. It’s the pass game. It’s the play-action game. It’s the screen game. Gun runs. Under runs. Under play-action. Gun play-action. Third down. Red zone,” Flores listed before summarizing his point in ten simple words. “He does a good job of putting it all together.”
In an even simpler six words, Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman explained why Bears fans are justifiably excited for the debut of their new head coach.
“Ben Johnson is a mastermind.”