Ben Johnson knew he needed somebody proven to handle the defense given his own offensive background. Not only that, but it had to be someone who shared his philosophies on creativity, hard work, discipline, and toughness. That is how he came around to Dennis Allen. Johnson had been following the exploits of the veteran defensive coach for years, from his rise in Denver to his long, successful stint with the New Orleans Saints. An additional reference from Lions head coach Dan Campbell sealed the deal.
Johnson didn’t need long to establish his reputation as a demanding coach. In the first practice of training camp, offensive starters were kicked out of drills after making multiple mistakes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t any better for the defense. On a day when the real feel temperature hovered around 100 degrees, Allen reportedly had players doing up-downs and going through intense drills. He was asked about it afterward. The Bears’ defensive coordinator was unapologetic about his approach. His answer left no room for misinterpretation.
“You have to pay the toll. You have to pay the price. It’s a privilege to be on this defense. Training camp is going to be difficult.”
Dennis Allen has a clear agenda in mind.
His job is to weed out the weak. Yes, it sounds Spartan, but that is the reality of this game. If you want to be a champion, you must be mentally and physically tough. The only way to ensure this becomes a reality in games is by making it so in practice. Dennis Allen isn’t getting paid to make players comfortable. He’s getting paid to win. This defense, while talented, was not good enough last year. Being the best unit on a bad team means nothing. Before getting into the Xs and Os, Allen must determine how many of them are up to the task of going through the grind. There are no days off in training camp. It is constant work. Teams that don’t realize this don’t win. It is a lesson the defensive coordinator learned over a long career.
