The hardest part of being a new head coach is getting it across to players that they should take you seriously. That is especially difficult in a locker room like the Chicago Bears’. Some of their players are now on their third head coach. They’ve heard all the speeches before. If Ben Johnson wants to grab their attention, he must do it in a way that feels genuine. He’s spent the past month doing that. One thing that has already become clear with Johnson is that nothing is laid back or nonchalant about him. The guy is intense, detail-obsessed, and competitive. He has little patience for guys who treat the game casually.
His mentality was on full display towards the end of OTAs this week. Several players weren’t able to participate in practices because of various injuries. All are expected to be ready for training camp. However, that isn’t enough in Johnson’s mind. Too many players treat camp as their means of getting in shape for the upcoming season. Not under his watch. He told all of those players who missed time that they better show up next month in good condition or risk consequences.
Ben Johnson understands the game.
The most precious resource of all is time. If players spend more time focused on getting in shape, it means they’ll spend less time learning football. That is unacceptable for Ben Johnson. In his mind, that is a big reason the Bears haven’t had much success winning. They’ve always looked like a team that isn’t on top of the details. That can only be done in practice, which isn’t possible if you’re constantly huffing and puffing because you’re not in shape yet. It isn’t a coincidence that many of the best head coaches were known for being sticklers during conditioning tests. Jimmy Johnson and Mike Shanahan were such examples. Both ended up with multiple rings. Johnson aims to be next on that list and won’t let laziness get in the way.
