Bears reporter on Ben Johnson coaching: 'Haven't covered anything like this before' | The Offseason
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears are about to break until training camp.
The team finishes up their OTAs this week, with Tuesday being the last day for the media to view practice, before taking a six-week break until reporting for camp in July.
Last year, Bears’ camp started a week earlier than most NFL teams because they were scheduled to play in the NFL’s Hall of Fame preseason game. That’s not on this year’s schedule.
Head coach Ben Johnson said he had a good number of objectives for the offseason programs, from Phase One through Phases Two and Three. He thinks the team met that criterion.
Big picture view:
When the Bears leave Halas Hall this week to break before camp, Johnson is satisfied with knowing he instilled what the players know the staff wants out of them on a daily basis in camp.
"When these guys walk away, they understand what the expectation level is," Johnson said. "I hope that they also understand our coaching staff a little bit better as well."
That last part, understanding the coaching staff more, comes in training camp where the pads come on and the Bears front office has to cut the roster down to 53 players before Week 1.
That will get easier in camp, especially as the team puts the pads on and begins to scrimmage.
"We haven't fully come together as a unit, a full team yet: just offense, defense, special team," Johnson said. "I think we've made some headway there, just getting to know each other, because really training camp's going to be a lot about building trust and I think we got a head start there."
Part of the head start in setting expectations is making sure players know they need to be available and ready for camp. The message wasn’t lost on the rookies who spoke at Halas Hall Tuesday.
"I'm gonna sit my behind down somewhere, obviously be available, train, be ready for camp, be ready to compete," linebacker Ruben Hippolyte II said. "Continue to get shape every day in more shape than I already am. Just be ready and available."
Johnson stressed the team isn’t where it needs to be yet in terms of understanding the offense. But, that’s to be expected with a brand new playbook.
What will help is getting the entire team back, including the team’s top two draft picks.
Injury Report:
Absent from the entirety of OTAs and minicamp were first-round pick Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden.
Loveland is still recovering from AC joint surgery he had before the NFL Draft process. Burden is recovering from a soft-tissue injury he suffered during rookie minicamp.
Loveland said the plan is to be ready for training camp. Johnson said Burden will be ready to go for training camp.
What's next:
Johnson will then take the next month or so to get his family to Chicago.
"That's a step in the right direction," Johnson said. "Four months without them being here full time takes its toll."
But, outside of that, Johnson will be preparing for camp in his own way. Namely, by watching film.
He has plenty to go off of considering the Bears’ rookie minicamp, mandatory minicamp and OTAs, but he won’t limit himself to just that film.
"Whether it was as a position coach or coordinator, I viewed the summer as a great opportunity to get ahead a little bit," Johnson said. "You can get some creative juices flowing as you start studying some of the tapes from around the league and some other places, maybe college ball. I've had to process that I'm committed to."
What transpires from that remains to be seen until training camp.
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