It isn’t difficult to find people who have opinions about Ben Johnson. Just throw a rock in a random direction and you’ll hit somebody. The challenging part is finding somebody with an informed opinion who worked with him directly and is willing to say things that aren’t carefully worded. Most of the comments from people in the league about Johnson are similar. He’s highly intelligent, creative, and laser-focused on every little detail. Allen Robinson knows the coach personally. The former Chicago Bears wide receiver played for him last season.
People don’t understand how insanely deep Johnson’s affinity for offensive football goes. Robinson did, and he warned people about it after the Bears thumped the Dallas Cowboys 31-14.
That is the scary part. Adam Hoge mentioned this as well. The Bears put up 30 points against an opponent despite only using around 20% of the actual playbook. There is still so much untapped potential Johnson hasn’t been able to utilize for various reasons. Quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t mastered the verbiage and responsibilities yet. Or more likely, it’s because the Bears haven’t been running the ball well.
Allen Robinson saw that playbook in action with Detroit.
The Lions ran the ball well and had a veteran quarterback who knew the language inside and out. As a result, they scored 564 points, the most in franchise history. It is terrifying that Johnson is still managing to score 30 points despite having over three-quarters of his playbook inaccessible at the moment. Allen Robinson is correct. People haven’t seen what this offense is capable of. They already have the firepower through the air. The only missing element is a reliable running game. D’Andre Swift isn’t the bellcow the Bears are looking for. You can bet Johnson will go hunting for one next offseason. If he finds it, the implications are massive.
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