Ben Johnson Said To Be Having A Dan Quinn Effect At Halas Hall

The Chicago Bears had never fired a head coach midseason in over 100 years of existence. So things must've been bad if they bucked that tradition by dismissing Matt Eberflus after the debacle in Detroit last November. Later, details came out that the former head coach had a bad reputation inside Halas Hall for not communicating well with players and having poor attention to detail. Whatever the Bears did in finding a replacement, it had to be somebody who didn't suffer from the same issues. Eventually, they landed on Ben Johnson.

Nobody doubts the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator was the most prized candidate of this cycle. His success at putting up points had been on display for three years. Nobody knew whether he had the charisma and presence to be a leader in the locker room. Based on what insider Tony Pauline of Sportskeedia is hearing, that never should've been a concern.

Johnson's impact on the building has been like a ray of sunshine through the clouds.

In speaking with people close to the Chicago organization, I am getting the same vibe with the Bears franchise as I did with the Washington Commanders last summer. Just a refresher, but I wrote two articles last August about the complete culture change in the Commanders building after Josh Harris bought the team. Commanders employees in the facility were looking forward to the future with anticipation rather than looking over their shoulder in fear.

Moving a little west to the Windy City, it's a similar feeling with the arrival of head coach Ben Johnson. People tell me that unlike prior coaches, Johnson has laid out a specific plan for the organization and, for the first time in a while, people believe it's a winning plan.

Can Ben Johnson pull off what Quinn did?

Everybody knows the story by now. The Washington Commanders hired the veteran coach last year. He took a team that had gone 4-13 the year prior to 12-5 with a rookie quarterback and reached the NFC championship game. Quinn's ability to galvanize the locker room and get guys playing with confidence cannot be understated. Based on what Pauline says, Ben Johnson is having the same type of impact. His interviews up to this point show an intelligent person with a clear vision of what he wants. He definitely has some personality and self-confidence as well. Players pick up on such things quickly. If they soon learn to emulate them, it will translate to a team playing much smarter and looser.

Obviously it must be proven on the field. Bears fans have heard rosy stories like this before. Still, it is hard not to be encouraged that Johnson's influence is already being felt.