Ben Johnson was expected to be a successful head coach. He’d been groomed for it over three years in Detroit, where he thrived as their offensive coordinator. However, nobody thought it would happen this quickly. The Chicago Bears were 5-12 last year. They had been perennial losers for almost a decade. Turning them around would take time. Johnson refused to accept that. He said from the beginning that his goal was to win and win now. After a 0-2 start, the Bears have won nine of their last ten games, seizing control of the NFC’s #1 seed.
There are many reasons for this. It starts with Johnson’s ability to foster belief in his plays. He made it clear what the vision for the team would be: physical, violent, run-oriented, and aggressive. All of those labels perfectly describe what the Bears have become. His infectious intensity has players buying in. That alone is noteworthy, but it’s not what has other NFL teams nervous. One coach told Mike Sando of The Athletic what Johnson’s real superpower is and how it makes the Bears so dangerous.
“Ben threw the ball in the first quarter, and then he said, ‘Am I nuts throwing in the wind with Caleb Williams when I can just run the ball with two backs?’” a coach from another team said. “He adjusted, and that was the impressive part. Vic wants to sit in the two-high shell and roll guys down late. Ben ran in the A-gaps a lot, so it was quick hitting, and the safeties can’t help on the inside fits.”
Ben Johnson doesn’t stick to a script.
Many offensive play callers prefer to craft a plan and keep to it during games. Not Ben Johnson. There was a famous clip from an episode of 1920 Football Drive where he was running a script of plays in practice. They weren’t going well. Rather than continue, the head coach declared he was “going rogue.” In other words, he was tossing the game plan and trying something else. It was the first indication that Johnson doesn’t mind operating in a chaotic environment.
That means you’d better have a defensive play caller who can do the same. Otherwise, you’re in big trouble. Most NFL teams don’t have that luxury, which further explains why Johnson scares them. Vic Fangio doesn’t suck. He’s one of the best in the business, and Johnson still coached circles around him on Black Friday. That would make any rational person uneasy.
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