The Chicago Bears got their first victory of the season last Sunday, crushing the Dallas Cowboys 31-14. Nobody celebrated harder than head coach Ben Johnson. His passion and fire were both on display in the locker room, taking the team through everything they did right, and telling them a poem about the need to always strive for excellence. It was another reminder of how dialed in this coach is. There are stories about his obsession with success and how it drives him. Tyson Bagent may have one of the best.
The backup quarterback appeared on safety Kevin Byard’s YouTube show, Intercepted, to discuss the victory and all the things that went into it. What stood out the most to them was how laser-focused Johnson was. Even during the highest points of the game, like the flea flicker to Luther Burden or the 19-play drive to put the game away, the coach’s expression never changed.
Bagent loves that about him. It was then that he told a story of how Johnson told players after the preseason to get away from Halas Hall, be with their families, and get rested up for the opener. When the quarterback asked whether Johnson would do the same, the coach’s answer said it all.
That was the day Tyson Bagent knew his coach was a maniac.
Keep in mind that this mentality is not normal. Plenty of head coaches do normal things, like going home after the workday is over. Sure, they’ll put in extra hours, but they always go home. However, a select few were notorious for always seeming to be at the facility day and night, constantly watching film and looking for weaknesses in the opponent. Bill Belichick did it. Joe Gibbs did it. Jimmy Johnson and Jon Gruden did it. It likely isn’t a coincidence that you see such coaches have sustained success. Their obsession with winning is insatiable. That is how Johnson is wired. Tyson Bagent can already see it. So can other players in the locker room. As the team starts adapting a similar mentality, the wins start coming. We saw an example of that on Sunday.
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