One of the more interesting headlines from last month came right before the Chicago Bears' first preseason game. They'd held a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, a great way for the team to measure itself against different competition. Not long after it concluded, reporters covering the Dolphins accused the Bears of being too physical and even outright dirty. Players didn't apologize for the outcome. They stated that was how they practiced all the time in training camp. They weren't going to change just because another team was in town. As it turns out, there was more to the story than anybody let on. Ben Johnson was the culprit behind everything.
Dan Wiederer of The Athletic revealed that the Bears' head coach went into the week with one objective. He wanted his players to have a killer mentality in that practice—no casual conversations between reps. For the two hours of practice, the Dolphins were the enemy. He even found a creative way to get his message across.
That’s a big reason Johnson’s training camp practices this summer were so intense and physical. It’s why, on the night before the Bears hosted a joint practice with the Dolphins, Johnson enlivened the team meeting with a clip from UFC 239 in 2019. At the opening bell of the welterweight main event, Jorge Masvidal ambushed Ben Askren with a flying knee to the jaw, scoring a five-second knockout that was as swift as it was devastating.
Bears players watched and understood Johnson’s intent. They were equally energized to arrive at Halas Hall the next morning with the same footage looping on TVs across the facility.
“Ben was trying to rile guys up. No question,” safety Kevin Byard says. “The message was clear. That was the kind of tone he wanted set."
Johnson demonstrated a few things with that.
He revealed his mindset as a coach. Beneath the bright smile he flashes, beats a ruthless competitor's heart. There is no substitute for winning, be it in practice or games. This tactic also demonstrates his clear understanding of player psychology. Football is a warrior sport. You need to approach it with violent and destructive intent. Sportsmanship is secondary.
Ben Johnson is starting to resemble the coaches of Bears past.
There was a point in time when Chicago was a place teams dreaded to play. They always knew it would be a 60-minute war. Even if they won the game, they'd pay a physical price for doing so. George Halas was famous for coaching that mentality. Mike Ditka was as well. The idea was simple. By the end of the game, the Bears will have won one of two things: the game or the fight. Ben Johnson seems to have that same mentality. He's not just out to win. He is out to humiliate. People can talk about unwritten rules, sportsmanship, and karma. The reality is that most physical teams often have the most success. It is an identity the Bears lost years ago. Johnson intends to bring it back and will use every trick in the book to do so.
