Ben Johnson Used Grady Jarrett's Worst Nightmare To Teach Bears A Lesson

Over the past decade, losing has become part of the Chicago Bears' consciousness. They have produced one winning record between 2013 and 2024. It has reached a point where both fans and even people inside Halas Hall seem to expect it. This is what quicksand feels like. No matter how hard you fight, it seems like you only sink deeper and deeper. Part of the problem is that they haven't found the right leader to guide them out of it. That is why Ben Johnson arriving feels like such a big deal. He just got done turning around Detroit. If he can do that, it stands to reason he can do the same in Chicago.

Johnson wasn't naive. He understood exactly what he was walking into. This is a tough city to coach in. Fans are numerous, vocal, and demanding. You need serious mental fortitude to handle the job. The first task for Johnson wasn't installing systems, though. He had to begin the process of rewiring how his players think. Part of the reason they keep losing is a lack of mental toughness. They seem to fold up like a tent whenever things go wrong. So, Johnson set about teaching them how to handle the highs and lows of the game. Unfortunately, his creative lesson plan would involve some collateral damage as Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times found out.

Grady Jarrett would have to relive the worst night of his life.

Coach Ben Johnson was running through a list of recent Super Bowl champions during a Bears team meeting this month when Grady Jarrett noticed the roman numerals he was hoping not to see: LI. His mind cut to another set of numbers — 28-3, the lead the Falcons held midway through the third quarter of a Super Bowl they’d eventually lose to the Patriots in overtime.

“I saw the number and thought, ‘Oh my god,’” said Jarrett, who had three sacks from the nose tackle spot for the Falcons that game. “It was a good lesson, man. For me, it was able to open wounds a little bit.

“At the same time, unspoke-about history repeats itself."...

...Call it the grit principle.

“It’s about the ebbs and flows of the course of the game and the emotion that goes into it,” Johnson told the Sun-Times. “And how do you win when you find yourself in a hole, which we will at some point this year. Every good team does every year. … You find your back against the wall. How do you respond to that in the right manner? New England did.”

Ben Johnson had the right idea.

As gutwrenching as that Super Bowl was for Jarrett, it was also the greatest comeback in NFL history. Going from down 28-3 with less than a half to play to winning in overtime is the ultimate proof of mind over matter. New England had every excuse in the book to resign themselves to their fate. Instead, they maintained their focus and poise, kept plugging away, and climbed their way back into the ballgame. Once Atlanta started wilting under the pressure, the Patriots took advantage. That is what mentally tough teams do. Ben Johnson understands that fundamental truth. It is how the Lions eventually learned how to win. If the Bears want to climb out of the mud, they must do the same. It's not an easy process. Pain and sacrifices will be involved, but the end result is worth it.