Terron Armstead carved out an excellent career as a left tackle in the NFL. He was an All-Pro and made five Pro Bowls. Most of his best work came with the New Orleans Saints under the guidance of head coach Sean Payton. By now, most football fans know the name. He was the mastermind behind Drew Brees’s ascent to Hall of Fame quarterback status. He won the Super Bowl in 2009, beating three other Hall of Fame quarterbacks to do so. In his career, he’s made the playoffs 11 times and posted a top-five offense 10 times. So when Armstead compares Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson to him, it is pretty high praise.
The former left tackle spoke with Fox Chicago Sports on a variety of topics, including his mentorship of Braxton Jones and his relationship with Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar. During the interview, it was noted that Johnson tends to treat all his players the same, regardless of status. Nobody gets special treatment. Armstead admitted that this was a character trait Payton had. He didn’t care if it was an undrafted free agent or a star. If you did things the wrong way, you were going to hear about it. That sets a high standard for everybody.
Ben Johnson keeps showing his understanding of football.
While superstars deserve the notoriety and money they get, it doesn’t mean they’re above the team. They must be held accountable just like everybody else. It falls to the head coach to be the one who won’t cater to those egos, always reminding them that no one man wins championships. You often see the greatest head coaches do that. Bill Walsh was notoriously strict with Joe Montana throughout their time together, even as the latter ascended to become one of the greatest ever. Chuck Noll had a roster filled with Hall of Famers in Pittsburgh and treated them like underachieving students.
Ben Johnson doesn’t do this just for the sake of asserting his authority. It is all about getting everybody on the same page and pulling in the same direction. If players sense that certain guys will be treated differently, what incentive do they have to work hard? By treating everybody the same, it crystallizes the message. The team is what matters most. Anybody caught not pulling their weight won’t be given any special treatment because of status. It’s either do your job better or get out.
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It took Payton time to get everything in order.
The start of his ascent in the NFL was much the same as Ben Johnson. He took over a lowly and dispirited football team with no sense of direction or identity. An upgraded offense, coupled with some magical moments of good fortune, catapulted the Saints to a 10-6 record, a division title, and all the way to the NFC championship. Sound familiar? That was almost the exact same thing Johnson did last season. It took Payton a few years to get that far again, often struggling to get his defense in order. Once he did, the Saints went the distance.
That is where Johnson has the Bears. He has the offensive pieces in place to be really good for a long time. Players are buying into his vision. If the defense can take a step forward from last season, this team is capable of making a run. They’re starting to believe it. Johnson isn’t taking his foot off the gas. Everybody needs to raise the bar. No cutting corners. No grading on a curve. If he really is like Payton, then big things are ahead.
