If you haven’t noticed by now, Ben Johnson is a competitor. He is maniacal about winning. That is why he is obsessed with every little thing the Chicago Bears do. Details matter. Execution is everything. If you make dumb mistakes, don’t expect a pat on the shoulder pads. Expect the wrath. To him, every other team is the enemy. They’re standing in the way of his goal of winning championships. That includes his former team, the Detroit Lions. Johnson has nothing but love for the players he went to battle with up there, but that phase of his career is over.
Recently, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back Jahmyr Gibbs commented after watching Chicago’s preseason 38-0 demolition of Buffalo. They felt the offense looked the same as the one they’d run for years in Detroit. Johnson was later asked about that on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. The head coach seemed to chafe at those comments. He clarified that what people saw against Buffalo was not the Bears’ offense. It is merely the stripped-down scheme he always runs in the preseason.
What he has planned for Chicago is nothing like the one he left behind in Detroit.
Ben Johnson is, indeed, intense.
There had always been rumors about how serious he is about everything. Players talked about it. Assistant coaches talked about it. For him to respond like that in a random interview should tell you everything. He doesn’t want to hear anybody talk about his offense like they know anything. That includes his former players. Mind your own business. That may seem odd, but it is one of the subtle ways Ben Johnson fosters team unity. Nobody outside the organization has your best interests at heart. It’s okay to answer questions and be cordial. Just remember that they know nothing. If they try acting like they do, set them straight through quotes like this or on the football field. Johnson seems eager to show everybody how grossly unprepared the NFL is for what is coming.
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