Ben Johnson knows what his job is. Set the standard. Make it clear what the expectations are for everybody in the building. Barely months into his tenure, there is no denying reality. Johnson thinks big. He has no three-year plan to make the Chicago Bears a playoff team. He expects to win and win now. As for a long-term vision? Players are quickly finding out that Johnson isn’t afraid to speak his mind. His goal isn’t winning the division or some playoff games. He has a plan, and it involves multiple championships.
In his latest press conference, Kevin Byard told the media that Johnson doesn’t dance around expectations. His goal is simple and straightforward.
“Ben Johnson wants to build a dynasty. We want to be that dynasty. We want to be the guys that get that thing started. Myself, we want to be the guys that build the foundation for Ben and continue to go as long as we possibly can. That’s the goal. But we got a long way to go to accomplish that.”
Mentioning the word dynasty when you haven’t won a playoff game in 15 years is certainly bold. Then again, Johnson has nothing to lose. He’s inheriting a franchise with no clear direction. His job is to set them on one. Why not aim as high as you possibly can? Modest expectations don’t breed greatness.
Johnson continues to show the Chicago Bears how to think big.
They’ve been stuck in the mud for so long that they’ve almost grown to accept it. Things will never change. The Chicago Bears will always be a backwards organization that might get lucky occasionally and break through with some winning seasons once or twice a decade. Ben Johnson understands this better than you’d think. He encountered the same defeatist attitude throughout his NFL journey, first in Miami and then in Detroit. Changing the culture of an entire organization isn’t easy. It requires a shock to the system. The first step is informing the players that their goal isn’t a winning record. It is rings. Lots of rings. That should be the reason everybody plays this game. Either work with Johnson to make it happen, or get out of the way.
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