The Chicago Bears had plenty of reasons to hire Ben Johnson. He’s young, energetic, intense, competitive, and passionate. You want that from your head coach. However, the main selling point was his genius as an offensive mind. He’d engineered a top-five offense for three years in Detroit, transforming a lowly franchise into a contender almost overnight. After decades of leaning on mostly defensive-oriented head coaches, the Bears wanted to try moving into the new age for once. Their first attempt with Matt Nagy didn’t work, but this time felt different.
Johnson has a far stronger track record than Nagy, who only spent one year as a coordinator and didn’t even call plays for most of it. People have good reasons to think Johnson is what this team needs, especially quarterback Caleb Williams. If you’re looking for evidence, Netflix provided some during their acclaimed series “Quarterback.” It follows three prominent NFL quarterbacks during the 2024 season. One of them was Lions starter Jared Goff. One segment showed the now-infamous Stumblebum play that led to a wide-open touchdown at Soldier Field. It helps illustrate how insanely detailed Johnson is.
Ben Johnson is a different animal.
The origin of that play call alone isn’t what makes it crazy. First, he had to see a play happen from the previous year, remember it, and decide to use it as the foundation of a trick play. Then he must pinpoint every detail necessary to make it work: Goff stumbling, the running back diving to the turf, and all the offensive linemen screaming “Fumble!” When they talk about a coach being detailed, these are the little things you don’t see. All of it was necessary to fool the Bears’ defense into biting on the fake. It worked to perfection. That is the level of wizardry Ben Johnson is bringing to the table. No wonder Lions players loved him so much. He makes the game easy.
