In case people haven’t already noticed, new head coach Ben Johnson is not what you’d call subtle. Since taking over the Chicago Bears in January, he has been very deliberate with his words. There is no dancing around subjects. When he has a message to deliver, he will give it to you straight. Caleb Williams, Cole Kmet, Rome Odunze, and D.J. Moore found that out at his opening press conference when he told them to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Those who know him said he’s intense and a grinder. That is proving true.
He proved it again on Thursday when he and GM Ryan Poles spoke to the media about recent roster additions, headlined by three new offensive linemen. At one point, Johnson was asked what he could do to help make life easier for those men as they transitioned to Chicago. The head coach seemed to balk at the idea of making anything easy for anybody. In his mind, football is hard. Anything in life worth doing is hard. He has no intentions of making things easy for them. They will be put under the same demands he puts on himself.
No shortcuts.
Ben Johnson understands what it takes to excel at this level.
Sure, talent is a big part of it. However, most players can’t be expected to motivate themselves to work hard. The head coach must be demanding and persistent in everything they do. Every little detail matters in this game. One of the big reasons Matt Eberflus was fired was his inability to stay on top of them. Players started cutting corners and skipping steps. That is why they kept falling apart late in games. It is why the offensive line kept making mind-numbing mistakes whenever opponents started blitzing or stunting heavily. They weren’t well-prepared.
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That won’t happen under Ben Johnson, at least not without serious consequences. His first order of business is to ensure the Bears stop beating themselves, which is often the critical step before beating other teams. It doesn’t matter if certain guys may not like it. That is the new reality. Better embrace it.