Ben Johnson came in with a reputation. Most knew him as an outstanding offensive mind who could craft a system that gave defenses fits. However, that wasn’t done by waving a magic wand. Johnson got the Detroit Lions to that point with a specific coaching style. Those close to him described it as “red ass.” In other words, he tended to grill players relentlessly in practice, jumping all over them for every little mistake. No excuses were allowed. The Chicago Bears encountered this version of Johnson during their early OTA practices when he railed against Cole Kmet for lining up wrong. Some might think players don’t like that stuff. Don’t count Joe Thuney among them.
The All-Pro guard has been blessed, spending his entire career playing for either Bill Belichick or Andy Reid. Those two are easily the best head coaches of the past 30 years and no doubt Hall of Famers. One can imagine Thuney has the highest of standards for that job. Given what he’s seen from Johnson over the past few weeks, there is no reason to be upset. He sees something special in the 38-year-old.
“Being in meetings with him you can just tell the intent, the intention, the attention to detail, very high standard, which is awesome. He’s very good at communicating. You know exactly what he wants from each play, from each player, very specific. I think he’s a great coach, teaches very well and it’s very cool to learn from.”
Joe Thuney knows what Johnson is trying to accomplish.
One of the biggest criticisms of Matt Eberflus was his tendency to let small mistakes slide in practice. Kmet mentioned it more than once as the 2024 season spiraled out of control. Players weren’t being disciplined enough, which inevitably led to their constant issues closing out games. Those 4th quarter collapses weren’t accidents. They were the byproduct of a team that hadn’t been coached well enough. Joe Thuney believes Johnson is working to correct that problem. To do that, he must convince the players that their lackadaisical approach over the past few years is over. They better be willing to accept true hard work moving forward. That rant to Kmet was merely a warning shot. If the mistakes persist, there will be consequences.