NFL head coaches are different, but many of them still operate according to a similar playbook. Once they secure the job, they have to assemble a staff. The smoothest way to do this is by digging into their personal connections. They try bringing in guys they’ve either worked with directly or have connections to them through friends in the league. Matt Eberflus basically brought his entire defensive staff with him from Indianapolis. Lovie Smith did the same when he took over in 2004. Ben Johnson was different.
The Chicago Bears head coach brought only one assistant with him from Detroit: wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. Pretty much every other notable addition, including defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, has never worked with him before. It was a fascinating departure from the normal procedure for young head coaches. On Thursday, Johnson finally took the opportunity to explain his reasoning behind the approach. It boiled down to surrounding himself with qualified people who aren’t afraid to say what is necessary.
“I like to take their thoughts — I told that staff when we came back from the summer that I need a bunch of truth tellers around me,” he said. “I need guys that aren’t going to tell me what I want to hear, but are going to tell me how they see it, then I’ll be able to assess the information and make a decision and we’ll go with it. That’s been the course so far.”
Ben Johnson understands football at a fundamental level.
He will not be able to win games consistently in this league unless he understands what his team truly needs. That can’t be done if the coaches around him aren’t willing to mention things that may upset him. A good example of this was Bill Walsh. He’d famously considered trading Joe Montana in 1988 and asked his staff their thoughts, hoping they’d back him up. Almost to a man, they told him not to do it. Initially frustrated, he chose to heed their advice and kept Montana as the starter. San Francisco won the Super Bowl that year, capped by a 93-yard game-winning drive from the Hall of Fame quarterback. Ben Johnson knows that he doesn’t know everything, however smart he may be. There will come times when he doesn’t have the right answer for the Bears. That is when he’ll need an outspoken staff to point the way.
