Bruce Arians was one of the best head coaches in the NFL for a long time. He elevated the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two long-suffering franchises, to extended success. That included a Super Bowl championship in 2020. One thing he knows better than most is how to develop quarterbacks. Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Andrew Luck were all mentored by him. Carson Palmer and Tom Brady both had career years under his watch. So it is always worth paying attention when he has something to say about your team. Arians certainly had notable words about Ben Johnson.
The future Hall of Famer watched the Monday night game between the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders. Johnson was at the forefront of the action, calling a tremendous game that saw Caleb Williams play mistake-free and D’Andre Swift go over 100 yards rushing. Once again, the team rallied from a 4th quarter deficit to take the game in the final seconds. Arians is more convinced than ever that Johnson is one of the great ones in this league. If Williams is smart enough to listen to him, he’ll end up a top quarterback in the NFL before too long.
Ben Johnson is already having a major influence on the team.
Start with the offense. The Bears have now scored at least 21 points in five straight games. This is the first time that has happened since 1995. Thirty years. Ben Johnson barely knew these players when he arrived in January. Getting these kinds of results right out of the gate is impressive. As for Williams, he has eight touchdowns and just two interceptions through five games. That includes two 4th quarter comebacks. At his current pace, the young quarterback will crack 4,000 yards, the first in Bears history to do so. This is why the Bears hired Johnson.
Yet it goes beyond that. The head coach is also having a massive impact on the team culture. For the first time in years, the Bears look disciplined, confident, and resilient in tough situations. Those are all things Johnson highlighted as priorities from the beginning. It is something Arians would’ve been proud of. He probably sees a lot of himself in how Johnson coaches. That is a great thing for Chicago.
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