***Chicago Bears Thread*** Ben Johnson hired. The Resurrection Begins! (5 Viewers)

[TheDirtyWord]

What's interesting is that their commitment to Johnson could very well be more than their one to Caleb.

I doubt Caleb can get away with being as disengaged from Johnson as he seemed to be with Eberflus.

 

[Statorama]

Apparently Dennis Allen as DC.

If true, it’ll be great for a first time HC have someone with experience he can turn to with questions.

Allen schemes his D based on the personnel, and typically gets good results even when the talent cupboard is bare.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

What's interesting is that their commitment to Johnson could very well be more than their one to Caleb.

I doubt Caleb can get away with being as disengaged from Johnson as he seemed to be with Eberflus.

I think that was more on Eberflus than Caleb, tbh. There were definitely points where Caleb gave off the vibe of just having enough of Flus' BS.

 

[ZWK]

I'm excited.

Don't think Poles is a great GM, but it's exciting to have a head coach & QB who both could be.

 

[Sunday Gravy]

Has Allen traditionally run a 4-3 or 3-4?

 

[flapgreen]

I truly can't believe they got this right. This is unbelievable

Look who's BACK!!!
Good to see you old friend

You too, friend

 

[-OZ-]

bump Williams, Odunze, Swift at a minimum

Odunze is an instant year two target for me on all rosters if I can get him.

As the Odunze owner in both my dynasties and Caleb in my SF, this couldn’t have gone better.

 

[flapgreen]

Very exciting. Let's hope Johnson isn't the next McDaniels type. We know he can craft a good offensive gameplan but it takes a lot more than that to be a big time head coach. But this is very exciting right now.

Ben Johnson isn't a hated my way or the highway I know it all type like McDaniel

And nearly as weird as McDaniel. Guy was just odd

 

[metoo]

I like this for Bears fans. Williams will be fine.

 

[IHEARTFF]

Has Allen traditionally run a 4-3 or 3-4?

I think 4/3 tampa 2

 

[Sunday Gravy]

Has Allen traditionally run a 4-3 or 3-4?

I think 4/3 tampa 2

Good we can work with that without much change.

 

[Sunday Gravy]

Very excited for Cole Kmet.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Johnson was never interviewed in person. He was obviously busy until Saturday night but maybe the Raiders were about to swoop in and the Bears did a very un-Bears thing: they didn't let Johnson get away, they were bold and decisive and closed the deal.

 

[IHEARTFF]

Very excited for Cole Kmet.

I too am going to fall for this guy again

 

[travdogg]

bump Williams, Odunze, Swift at a minimum

I'd be very surprised if Swift didn't face significantly more competition for the starting job. I'd be there is a good chance Swift goes right back to his Detroit role.

 

[3nOut]

I truly can't believe they got this right. This is unbelievable

Who are you and what did you do with Flap?

 

[Ben & Jerry's]

Smart to go with the best QB available. Raiders job likely doesn't end well.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

Smart to go with the best QB available. Raiders job likely doesn't end well.

Chicago was clearly the best job available. It just came down to whether management was going to open the checkbook.

 

[JoeKappBudGrant]

Smart to go with the best QB available. Raiders job likely doesn't end well.

Chicago was clearly the best job available. It just came down to whether management was going to open the checkbook.

Also, how much control management has given him. He may not have to touch the front office with a ten foot Poles.

 

[Dizzy]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

Ben Johnson wasn't going anywhere to be an OC.

 

[Sunday Gravy]

Anyone hear when the press conference will be?

 

[Dizzy]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

Ben Johnson wasn't going anywhere to be an OC.

Agreed, 100%. I just don't like it for Chicago. I don't think they will get maximum value out of what Ben Johnson has to offer.

We'll see. Hope I'm wrong. I have a soft spot for da Bears.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

You don’t like it because you were hoping for something illogical that never would have happened? That seems odd.

 

[Dizzy]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

You don’t like it because you were hoping for something illogical that never would have happened? That seems odd.

Yeah, I'm saying what I would have liked to see. You act like teams always do the logical thing. This is the Bears. The only thing they have proven is that they always blow it... they always seem to be in position to make the "trendy" hire and draft a franchise QB and then the bonfire.

I get why the Bears hired him. I just feel there's pretty good chance the whole thing crashes and burns... again.

He's a first-time head coach. He might completely suck at it. Only one way to find out... and now we'll find out.

Bears hired him because other teams wanted to hire him, period. And now we'll see.

 

[IHEARTFF]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

You don’t like it because you were hoping for something illogical that never would have happened? That seems odd.

Yeah, I'm saying what I would have liked to see. You act like teams always do the logical thing. This is the Bears. The only thing they have proven is that they always blow it... they always seem to be in position to make the "trendy" hire and draft a franchise QB and then the bonfire.

I get why the Bears hired him. I just feel there's pretty good chance the whole thing crashes and burns... again.

He's a first-time head coach. He might completely suck at it. Only one way to find out... and now we'll find out.

Bears hired him because other teams wanted to hire him, period. And now we'll see.

Do you think Dennis Allen as DC would help him not crash and burn as he can implement his vision for the offense and let Dennis run the defense?

 

[steelerfan1]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

Just curious, who would you have liked? McCarthy, Carroll? I thought an up and coming offensive minded guy with a young qb with potential would have all bears fans excited. granted, he is an unknown as a HC and could bomb out, but he could be great. I'd gladly take the unknown and give you mike tomlin and art smith.

 

[Statorama]

Fellow Bears Fans: PLEASE give this guy some rope. He won't come in and turn this motley crew into contenders overnight.

I believe this is also his first head coaching gig ANYWHERE. He's going to have a lot of duties he didn't have as an OC and he's learning on the job.

Ben Johnson: PLEASE do not think you can be the OC and HC. We just watched Eberflus try to be the HC and the DC. It doesn't work. I'm not saying you can't be the playcaller. Sean Payton did it for years in NO. But for the day to day OC things, bring one of your guys over from DET - even if it's something like TE coach. Someone that knows your general system that you can work with.

Ben Johnson was a great hire. The best young coach available on the market and could easily turn into a McVey-type. Kuddos to the Bears for scooping him up in a hot market. But the kid is raw, and the Bears are oozing with malcontents in the locker room. Don't get me wrong, most of the team is just guys shutting up and playing ball. But there's plenty of finger-pointers on this Bears team that are itching to throw their coach under the bus on a tweet or a Podcast. Johnson's no longer in the land of "everybody wants to have a beer with the HC" land of Dan Campbell's Detroit. How he deals with the bad apples on the team will dictate his tenure in CHI.

 

[Dizzy]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

Just curious, who would you have liked? McCarthy, Carroll? I thought an up and coming offensive minded guy with a young qb with potential would have all bears fans excited. granted, he is an unknown as a HC and could bomb out, but he could be great. I'd gladly take the unknown and give you mike tomlin and art smith.

The answers to all your questions can be found in my previous replies.

 

[Dizzy]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

You don’t like it because you were hoping for something illogical that never would have happened? That seems odd.

Yeah, I'm saying what I would have liked to see. You act like teams always do the logical thing. This is the Bears. The only thing they have proven is that they always blow it... they always seem to be in position to make the "trendy" hire and draft a franchise QB and then the bonfire.

I get why the Bears hired him. I just feel there's pretty good chance the whole thing crashes and burns... again.

He's a first-time head coach. He might completely suck at it. Only one way to find out... and now we'll find out.

Bears hired him because other teams wanted to hire him, period. And now we'll see.

Do you think Dennis Allen as DC would help him not crash and burn as he can implement his vision for the offense and let Dennis run the defense?

Then who runs the team?

 

[nirad3]

Caleb, Odunze, Swift, Kmet all been mentioned but no thoughts on DJ Moore? Does he take the ARSB spot in this offense? If so, nice bump for him too.

I like the hire. Big things ahead (I hope).

 

[crushedspirit]

When looking at all possible available, Johnson and Kingsbury, (who already worked with Caleb), would be at the top of my list.

Bears took a chance and I think it was a great hire. Hope they can turn things around.

 

[menobrown]

Just going to chime in that the Johnson/Allen pairing is a homerun.

Dennis Allen is the classic really really good DC who is subpar as a head coach and the key to how we will all judge this in a few years is whether or not we saying the same thing about Ben Johnson in a few years? Can't say how it turns out but today I think they got the perfect HC/DC pairing.

 

[Enzo....the Baker]

Great hire. They can hire any former HC to be a special adviser to assist him in other matters.

 

[GrantK]

Question for Bears season ticket holders, does this hire lessen the sting of having to pay for your seats? Serious question...

 

[Sunday Gravy]

This is awesome

x.com

x.com

 

[rschroeder1]

I don't like it. I was hoping for a proven commodity at head coach and luring Ben Johnson over as OC to work closely with Caleb with the understanding that in 1 year (2 tops) he ascends to head coach... after Caleb's situation and the offense is solidified.

I just feel like a first-time head coach is likely to be completely overwhelmed and his time spent with the offense and Caleb will be very limited. This is why I though Pete Carroll made sense as a "bridge" head coach.

We'll see though. This stuff is a total crap shoot.

Just to close the loop on this, when the Bears hired Johnson on Monday, he was currently under contract with the Lions through the '25 season. NFL rules prohibit hiring another team's coach under contract for a lateral move.

 

[rschroeder1]

Fellow Bears Fans: PLEASE give this guy some rope. He won't come in and turn this motley crew into contenders overnight.

I believe this is also his first head coaching gig ANYWHERE. He's going to have a lot of duties he didn't have as an OC and he's learning on the job.

Ben Johnson: PLEASE do not think you can be the OC and HC. We just watched Eberflus try to be the HC and the DC. It doesn't work. I'm not saying you can't be the playcaller. Sean Payton did it for years in NO. But for the day to day OC things, bring one of your guys over from DET - even if it's something like TE coach. Someone that knows your general system that you can work with.

Ben Johnson was a great hire. The best young coach available on the market and could easily turn into a McVey-type. Kuddos to the Bears for scooping him up in a hot market. But the kid is raw, and the Bears are oozing with malcontents in the locker room. Don't get me wrong, most of the team is just guys shutting up and playing ball. But there's plenty of finger-pointers on this Bears team that are itching to throw their coach under the bus on a tweet or a Podcast. Johnson's no longer in the land of "everybody wants to have a beer with the HC" land of Dan Campbell's Detroit. How he deals with the bad apples on the team will dictate his tenure in CHI.

I disagree with the idea the Bears have locker room problems. The past two years have seen coaching incompetence that may be unique in all of NFL history.

- 2023: Justin Fields publicly calls out the coaching staff for game planning and preparation. If this sounds like finger-pointing, just wait.
- 2023: Justin Fields gets hurt against Minnesota. In comes Tyson Bagent, and suddenly the playbook opens up...for the back up QB.
- 2023: the coaching staff is publicly ecstatic about the opportunity to play Tyson Bagent at QB when Fields is injured. We are treated to a national broadcast extolling Bagent's virtues and how Justin Fields needs to learn from a guy who last played against the Colorado School of Mines. The Bears lose 40-7 to an eventual 5-12 team, when the coaching staff finally got to play "their guy."
- 2023: Rodney Harrison publicly calls out Justin Fields on Sunday Night Football for wearing sunglasses on the sidelines, saying he's only concerned about looking cool and isn't interested in learning and improving. Fields has epilepsy and wears glasses or a visor to deal with bright/flashing stadium lights. No one on the Bears coaching staff says a word about their at-the-time franchise QB.

- 2024: Bears players force a meeting with the coaching staff to call out the fact that the offensive coordinator is not scripting the first 15 plays.
- 2024: Bears players try to get Caleb Williams benched to protect him from the coaching staff. I've never heard of this in any sport, ever.
- 2024: Bears GM Ryan Poles publicly acknowledges training camp was a complete mess

When you have players repeatedly calling out their coaches for failure of preparation, what do you think is going on? I would argue this points to a positive culture, sick of losing and wanting to win. Yes, players checked out after the Eberflus firing. Yes, they have been through a lot under his moronic tenure.

 

[ChiefD]

This is awesome

x.com

x.com

Boy, that's how you do it.

"Now everyone get back to work."

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Fellow Bears Fans: PLEASE give this guy some rope. He won't come in and turn this motley crew into contenders overnight.

I believe this is also his first head coaching gig ANYWHERE. He's going to have a lot of duties he didn't have as an OC and he's learning on the job.

Ben Johnson: PLEASE do not think you can be the OC and HC. We just watched Eberflus try to be the HC and the DC. It doesn't work. I'm not saying you can't be the playcaller. Sean Payton did it for years in NO. But for the day to day OC things, bring one of your guys over from DET - even if it's something like TE coach. Someone that knows your general system that you can work with.

Ben Johnson was a great hire. The best young coach available on the market and could easily turn into a McVey-type. Kuddos to the Bears for scooping him up in a hot market. But the kid is raw, and the Bears are oozing with malcontents in the locker room. Don't get me wrong, most of the team is just guys shutting up and playing ball. But there's plenty of finger-pointers on this Bears team that are itching to throw their coach under the bus on a tweet or a Podcast. Johnson's no longer in the land of "everybody wants to have a beer with the HC" land of Dan Campbell's Detroit. How he deals with the bad apples on the team will dictate his tenure in CHI.

I disagree with the idea the Bears have locker room problems. The past two years have seen coaching incompetence that may be unique in all of NFL history.

- 2023: Justin Fields publicly calls out the coaching staff for game planning and preparation. If this sounds like finger-pointing, just wait.
- 2023: Justin Fields gets hurt against Minnesota. In comes Tyson Bagent, and suddenly the playbook opens up...for the back up QB.
- 2023: the coaching staff is publicly ecstatic about the opportunity to play Tyson Bagent at QB when Fields is injured. We are treated to a national broadcast extolling Bagent's virtues and how Justin Fields needs to learn from a guy who last played against the Colorado School of Mines. The Bears lose 40-7 to an eventual 5-12 team, when the coaching staff finally got to play "their guy."
- 2023: Rodney Harrison publicly calls out Justin Fields on Sunday Night Football for wearing sunglasses on the sidelines, saying he's only concerned about looking cool and isn't interested in learning and improving. Fields has epilepsy and wears glasses or a visor to deal with bright/flashing stadium lights. No one on the Bears coaching staff says a word about their at-the-time franchise QB.

- 2024: Bears players force a meeting with the coaching staff to call out the fact that the offensive coordinator is not scripting the first 15 plays.
- 2024: Bears players try to get Caleb Williams benched to protect him from the coaching staff. I've never heard of this in any sport, ever.
- 2024: Bears GM Ryan Poles publicly acknowledges training camp was a complete mess

When you have players repeatedly calling out their coaches for failure of preparation, what do you think is going on? I would argue this points to a positive culture, sick of losing and wanting to win. Yes, players checked out after the Eberflus firing. Yes, they have been through a lot under his moronic tenure.

I think a lot of non Bears fans just didn't see the day in and day out disfunction that occurred under Flus' watch. For 3 years now, the Bears have been ill prepared in nearly all phases of the game going into the season. The OL was one of the worst. It was literally Keystone Cop-ish out there for the first few games of the season. That's inexcusable multiple years running. Caleb and Rome/DJ/Keenan/Cole should have been much more in sync than they were in the beginning of the season. There are just so many little things that are noticeable if you follow the team year round that were just off and in the end it all falls on the leadership.

 

[Dizzy]

This is awesome

x.com

x.com

Boy, that's how you do it.

"Now everyone get back to work."

Feel like we see a similar video from the Bears every 2-3 years (and in-between they are drafting another franchise QB in the top-5 of the draft).

 

[Max Power]

Fellow Bears Fans: PLEASE give this guy some rope. He won't come in and turn this motley crew into contenders overnight.

I believe this is also his first head coaching gig ANYWHERE. He's going to have a lot of duties he didn't have as an OC and he's learning on the job.

Ben Johnson: PLEASE do not think you can be the OC and HC. We just watched Eberflus try to be the HC and the DC. It doesn't work. I'm not saying you can't be the playcaller. Sean Payton did it for years in NO. But for the day to day OC things, bring one of your guys over from DET - even if it's something like TE coach. Someone that knows your general system that you can work with.

Ben Johnson was a great hire. The best young coach available on the market and could easily turn into a McVey-type. Kuddos to the Bears for scooping him up in a hot market. But the kid is raw, and the Bears are oozing with malcontents in the locker room. Don't get me wrong, most of the team is just guys shutting up and playing ball. But there's plenty of finger-pointers on this Bears team that are itching to throw their coach under the bus on a tweet or a Podcast. Johnson's no longer in the land of "everybody wants to have a beer with the HC" land of Dan Campbell's Detroit. How he deals with the bad apples on the team will dictate his tenure in CHI.

I disagree with the idea the Bears have locker room problems. The past two years have seen coaching incompetence that may be unique in all of NFL history.

- 2023: Justin Fields publicly calls out the coaching staff for game planning and preparation. If this sounds like finger-pointing, just wait.
- 2023: Justin Fields gets hurt against Minnesota. In comes Tyson Bagent, and suddenly the playbook opens up...for the back up QB.
- 2023: the coaching staff is publicly ecstatic about the opportunity to play Tyson Bagent at QB when Fields is injured. We are treated to a national broadcast extolling Bagent's virtues and how Justin Fields needs to learn from a guy who last played against the Colorado School of Mines. The Bears lose 40-7 to an eventual 5-12 team, when the coaching staff finally got to play "their guy."
- 2023: Rodney Harrison publicly calls out Justin Fields on Sunday Night Football for wearing sunglasses on the sidelines, saying he's only concerned about looking cool and isn't interested in learning and improving. Fields has epilepsy and wears glasses or a visor to deal with bright/flashing stadium lights. No one on the Bears coaching staff says a word about their at-the-time franchise QB.

- 2024: Bears players force a meeting with the coaching staff to call out the fact that the offensive coordinator is not scripting the first 15 plays.
- 2024: Bears players try to get Caleb Williams benched to protect him from the coaching staff. I've never heard of this in any sport, ever.
- 2024: Bears GM Ryan Poles publicly acknowledges training camp was a complete mess

When you have players repeatedly calling out their coaches for failure of preparation, what do you think is going on? I would argue this points to a positive culture, sick of losing and wanting to win. Yes, players checked out after the Eberflus firing. Yes, they have been through a lot under his moronic tenure.

I think a lot of non Bears fans just didn't see the day in and day out disfunction that occurred under Flus' watch. For 3 years now, the Bears have been ill prepared in nearly all phases of the game going into the season. The OL was one of the worst. It was literally Keystone Cop-ish out there for the first few games of the season. That's inexcusable multiple years running. Caleb and Rome/DJ/Keenan/Cole should have been much more in sync than they were in the beginning of the season. There are just so many little things that are noticeable if you follow the team year round that were just off and in the end it all falls on the leadership.

Bears were near the top if not the worst team for pre-snap penalties. Illegal formations, false start, illegal shifts. 2024 had to be the record for the amount of timeouts wasted because the offense couldn't get set.

 

[Statorama]

Fellow Bears Fans: PLEASE give this guy some rope. He won't come in and turn this motley crew into contenders overnight.

I believe this is also his first head coaching gig ANYWHERE. He's going to have a lot of duties he didn't have as an OC and he's learning on the job.

Ben Johnson: PLEASE do not think you can be the OC and HC. We just watched Eberflus try to be the HC and the DC. It doesn't work. I'm not saying you can't be the playcaller. Sean Payton did it for years in NO. But for the day to day OC things, bring one of your guys over from DET - even if it's something like TE coach. Someone that knows your general system that you can work with.

Ben Johnson was a great hire. The best young coach available on the market and could easily turn into a McVey-type. Kuddos to the Bears for scooping him up in a hot market. But the kid is raw, and the Bears are oozing with malcontents in the locker room. Don't get me wrong, most of the team is just guys shutting up and playing ball. But there's plenty of finger-pointers on this Bears team that are itching to throw their coach under the bus on a tweet or a Podcast. Johnson's no longer in the land of "everybody wants to have a beer with the HC" land of Dan Campbell's Detroit. How he deals with the bad apples on the team will dictate his tenure in CHI.

I disagree with the idea the Bears have locker room problems. The past two years have seen coaching incompetence that may be unique in all of NFL history.

- 2023: Justin Fields publicly calls out the coaching staff for game planning and preparation. If this sounds like finger-pointing, just wait.
- 2023: Justin Fields gets hurt against Minnesota. In comes Tyson Bagent, and suddenly the playbook opens up...for the back up QB.
- 2023: the coaching staff is publicly ecstatic about the opportunity to play Tyson Bagent at QB when Fields is injured. We are treated to a national broadcast extolling Bagent's virtues and how Justin Fields needs to learn from a guy who last played against the Colorado School of Mines. The Bears lose 40-7 to an eventual 5-12 team, when the coaching staff finally got to play "their guy."
- 2023: Rodney Harrison publicly calls out Justin Fields on Sunday Night Football for wearing sunglasses on the sidelines, saying he's only concerned about looking cool and isn't interested in learning and improving. Fields has epilepsy and wears glasses or a visor to deal with bright/flashing stadium lights. No one on the Bears coaching staff says a word about their at-the-time franchise QB.

- 2024: Bears players force a meeting with the coaching staff to call out the fact that the offensive coordinator is not scripting the first 15 plays.
- 2024: Bears players try to get Caleb Williams benched to protect him from the coaching staff. I've never heard of this in any sport, ever.
- 2024: Bears GM Ryan Poles publicly acknowledges training camp was a complete mess

When you have players repeatedly calling out their coaches for failure of preparation, what do you think is going on? I would argue this points to a positive culture, sick of losing and wanting to win. Yes, players checked out after the Eberflus firing. Yes, they have been through a lot under his moronic tenure.

I think a lot of non Bears fans just didn't see the day in and day out disfunction that occurred under Flus' watch. For 3 years now, the Bears have been ill prepared in nearly all phases of the game going into the season. The OL was one of the worst. It was literally Keystone Cop-ish out there for the first few games of the season. That's inexcusable multiple years running. Caleb and Rome/DJ/Keenan/Cole should have been much more in sync than they were in the beginning of the season. There are just so many little things that are noticeable if you follow the team year round that were just off and in the end it all falls on the leadership.

Disfunction happens in all organizations. Some teams are just better at settling those things in-house than others.

I was in Illinois for the Flus tenure and he was in way over his head as a head coach. He made some blunders that D-II coaches don't make. I'm not shilling him as a great coach or anything.

The problem is that Ben Johnson gets a squad that will have no problems crying to the media/x/podcasts because when they did it regarding problems with Eberflus, something was done about those problems. When bad behavior is rewarded, it usually gets repeated. Especially when young players see veteran players doing the bad behavior.

Johnson is a rookie NFL head coach. He's never been a head coach at any level. Lots of learning on the job. He's going to screw up from time to time. We'll see how the players react to those miscues. I would 100% love to be wrong and have Johnson have his players rally around him like Campbell has in Detroit, with nary a negative peep coming from social media. Hopefully the coaches coach and the players play and everyone is in full-on Kumbaya mode all season. I'd love it.

I'm a Bears fan, I've been here since the bridge from Butkus to Payton, I could pick Brian Baschnagel out of a lineup, I did shots with a guy who said he was Maury Buford, I wore half shirts briefly in the 80's because it's what Otis Wilson did (Otis can pull that look off, me - I found - not so much). Bears fans have suffered through a LOT of Bears coaching incompetence over the years, but I've never seen the Bears players get as bitchy about it as the 2024 group. 2025 is a new year, a fresh start. Let's go Bears!

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

I wonder if Mike McCarthy had an inkling he had the Bears Job? He turned down the possibility of returning to the Cowboys but now with Johnson in the fold what are McCarthy's options? Raiders, Jaguars, and New Orleans, not sure how much his name is being mentioned, but he is essentially looking at an unpaid year off if he cant get one of those jobs.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

We should thank the Jags for being more inept than we are. If they fired Baalke a week ago, there's a very real chance they could be the ones to get Johnson.

 

[Da Guru]

Ben has been with the Lions for years and yesterday when he was introduced as Da Bears HC was the first time I ever heard him talk. Never knew what he even sounded like.

I know he is good at drawing up gadget plays but commanding a team and the locker room is totally different. Aaron Glenn has a totally different personality.

As a Lion and NFL fan all HCs hires are crapshoots. Hope both of these guys get at least 3 years to show something.

 

[Sunday Gravy]

I've never been one to get excited from a press conference but this one today was really exciting. Johnson is damn impressive. No boring coach speak or cliches. He was direct, assertive and confident. Really sounds like this was the job he's wanted for a year and he went back to Detroit with the mindset that he was going to learn about being a head coach. Love the comment he directed to Caleb. Love that he said this will not be the Lions offense. He will strip it down and build it up around Caleb and the pieces we have here. I can't wait to see this guy get to work.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

At the introductory press conference Johnson said he wanted to stay in the NFC North because he really enjoys beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.

 

[IHEARTFF]

At the introductory press conference Johnson said he wanted to stay in the NFC North because he really enjoys beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.

did he really say that?

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

At the introductory press conference Johnson said he wanted to stay in the NFC North because he really enjoys beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.

did he really say that?

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