Montez Sweat can be forgiven if he was jaded as a player when it came to head coaches. Since entering the league in 2019 as a 1st round pick in Washington, he’s been exposed to nothing but disappointment in that regard. It started with Jay Gruden and Bill Cunningham in his rookie season. They were then replaced by Ron Rivera. Though a successful coach in Carolina, he didn’t have the same mojo in Washington. He never produced a winning record in four seasons with the team.
Then, Sweats was traded to the Chicago Bears, where he got the Matt Eberflus experience. Nobody blamed the veteran pass rusher for being cynical at that point. He didn’t know what to expect when Ben Johnson arrived last year. All he knew was the guy was some kind of offensive genius. Sweat had seen those types before. It doesn’t automatically make one a good head coach. A few months later, the Bears won the division and a playoff game, both firsts in Sweat’s career. How did Johnson accomplish this? He didn’t beat around the bush when asked.
“He worked the shit out of us…If it wasn’t about winning, it was nonexistent.”
That single-minded approach was something the veteran didn’t see coming, and didn’t appreciate at first. However, that all changed when the wins started piling up. Now, Sweat is all in. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s looking forward to training camp.
“I’m expecting the worst. Be prepared. Hopefully I’ll be a little more prepared this time since I been through it.”
Winning over Montez Sweat was crucial for Johnson.
Like any head coach, he knew the younger guys would listen to him. That is how they’re programmed coming out of college. Guys like Sweat, Kevin Byard, Jaylon Johnson, D.J. Moore, and Joe Thuney would be much harder to convince. These guys had been in the league for years. They’re grown men with families to feed. They can also smell bulls**t from a mile away. If you’re not authentic with them and put forward a clear vision for the team, they won’t give you the full commitment you’re looking for.
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Johnson knew that and set the tone right away. Everybody would be held to the same standard. No exceptions. That included the quarterback and the coaching staff. If you weren’t putting in the time and effort, you get called out. No more cutting corners. Johnson said it from the opening presser. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Players probably didn’t realize how literal he was being with that. As a coach, you can’t afford to be lenient. Most guys aren’t self-disciplined enough to coach or police themselves.
There is one key difference from last year.
The roster is now occupied by more players Johnson acquired than he inherited. This means he’s been filling it with guys who not only accept but embrace hard work. You’re already seeing it with new arrivals like Coby Bryant, Dillon Thieneman, and Logan Jones. Both Colston Loveland and Luther Burden are said to be significantly improved from the end of last season. Everybody knows what is being asked of them. They also know Johnson won’t have any sympathy for their pain when things get tough this summer.
If you want to win a championship, you must be willing to make sacrifices. Montez Sweat thought he understood through the first years of his career. His encounter with Johnson opened up his understanding of the difference between great teams and everybody else. Even as he moves into his 30s, the defensive end has no plans to ease up. He can’t afford to. If he wants to win, he must be prepared to grind. This is the fundamental lesson Johnson will keep teaching.
