The arrival of Ben Johnson has been a breath of fresh air for Chicago Bears fans. For the first time in over a decade, it feels like the organization is in the hands of somebody who knows what he’s doing. Lovie Smith wasn’t perfect, but he understood the buttons he had to press to get guys to play smart and hard. Johnson hasn’t conducted any actual games yet. Still, the limited evidence available suggests he’s fully competent. The Bears’ 38-0 demolition of Buffalo in the preseason was one example. Even though the game didn’t matter, it still showed players who didn’t make many mistakes and played with intensity.
At last, the Bears gave us a window into how Johnson operates. They released a five-minute video of him mic’d up during training camp. It doesn’t take long to see why players respond to him. He’s animated, energetic, has a firm command in his voice, and understands how to communicate. However, one moment stood out above the rest. It came during a move-the-ball period where the Bears’ offense was operating according to a specific script of plays, something teams always do at the beginning of games.
Ben Johnson is not a prisoner to structure.
He didn’t stubbornly stick to the script even when there were signs it wasn’t working. The moment he felt things were trending in the wrong direction, he immediately shifted gears to something else. People don’t realize how rare this trait is. So many coaches believe in sticking to the game plan, believing that with enough persistence, it will work out. Only the good ones have the wherewithal to recognize that an opponent is onto you and the guts to make on-the-fly adjustments. Matt Eberflus was infamous for failing to adjust until the end of a half when things went poorly in the first and second quarters. Meanwhile, Mike Shanahan famously inserted plays his team hadn’t practiced during the week into the middle of playoff games.
Ben Johnson is made of the same stuff. He has a good sense of his team’s trending direction and the guts to throw out a game plan when it’s not working, which is a great sign for the Bears.
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