Tom Thayer has been involved with an enormous chunk of Chicago Bears history. He was a guard for them in the 1980s, winning a championship in 1985. After retiring, he became a core part of their broadcast team alongside Jeff Joniak, a role he has held ever since. The man has seen the Bears at their highest and lowest, and is well-acquainted with their long history. If anybody is qualified to declare who the best head coach they've ever had is, it is Thayer. To him, it's Ben Johnson.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come again?
Johnson has done a phenomenal job this season. He took a dispirited 5-12 team from last year and already has them at 6-3 this season. Caleb Williams is playing much better, as is the rest of the offense. Still, calling him the best coach the Bears have ever had after nine games feels premature, right? Thayer doesn't care. He stood by that statement on Waddle & Silvy for ESPN 1000. Johnson excels in many areas and is the ideal coach for the current era of the NFL. None of the Bears' previous coaches would've been able to handle it. Not Lovie Smith, not Mike Ditka, and not even George Halas.
Ben Johnson isn't there yet, but the statement isn't wrong.
In terms of capability, he absolutely has a case as the best ever. Halas didn't have to deal with pesky things like free agency or complex offensive and defensive schemes. Ditka inherited a championship-ready roster. All he had to do was motivate them and keep them focused. The same was largely true for Lovie Smith, though he did install a defensive philosophy that was still on the cutting edge at the time. Ben Johnson is the first head coach who feels like the Bears have an advantage on the sideline in every game they play.
He's smart and well-prepared. Even if he is caught off guard, he is quick to make adjustments. Players already love him and work tirelessly despite Johnson's high demands. The man has inspired belief in an organization that had none for almost a decade. It is too early to call Johnson the best coach in Bears history, but you can already see the signs of it eventually reaching that point.
