If you weren’t sure whether Ben Johnson was impacting this Chicago Bears team yet, that was put to bed after a wild Tuesday afternoon. It started with what many beat writers called the most physical practice in the last 20 years. The Bears offense and defense slugged it out literally and figuratively for two hours in several live tackling periods. It got so heated that five separate scuffles broke out. Rome Odunze got his helmet ripped off. Braxton Jones was thrown to the ground by Gervon Dexter. It was crazy. The juice was overflowing. In hindsight, people should’ve seen what happened next coming. It occurred when defensive end Montez Sweat sat down for an interview with Brian Baldinger of NFL Network.
He was asked what makes Johnson and his new coaching staff so different. The answer started off fine. These coaches have a high standard and refuse to accept anything below it. You could tell at this point that Sweat was getting animated. It was then that he dropped an honest-to-goodness F-bomb about what happens when you make mistakes. The pure honesty of the statement, along with Baldinger’s coy smile, made it solid gold.
You can tell Montez Sweat is feeling the energy.
One must understand the context here. This player is known for being mostly even-keeled emotionally. He never shows much during interviews, maintaining a calm exterior. For Montez Sweat to cut loose a curse like that should tell you where his mindset is. There’s been evidence of his growing excitement for the new coaching staff in recent weeks, particularly defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. His play has reflected it. Everybody has said the former Pro Bowler looks outstanding. He was in the middle of that physical practice, drinking in the energy. One can safely assume he is ready for the season to begin. Sweat looks like a ferocious hound eager to be off its leash. Hopefully, he can deliver more soundbites like this in the coming months.
