Everything about how Ben Johnson runs the Chicago Bears to this point has felt right. Like any head coach, he isn't perfect. Still, his decisions on structuring practices, instilling a team identity, and motivating the players come from places of common sense. Of course, this was never something he'd fix overnight. The Bears are a team with deep organizational flaws that would take time to overcome. Even so, it is hard not to like how Johnson has approached the problem: direct and with a clear, straightforward plan. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle can already see the results.
One idea Johnson has implemented may seem baffling. The Bears played their preseason game on Sunday. One would think they'd have Monday off, getting a chance to rest and recoup. Not this team. Johnson had most of the team's starters on the practice field, taking them through a 70-minute work session. Doyle has seen this approach before. He worked with one head coach who has used it for years and believes it originated from another. One is in the Hall of Fame. The other will likely be after he retires.
"It's kind of what I've been exposed to around Sean Payton the last six years. We always practiced the day after a game. And I think it actually goes back to Bill Parcells.
There's this misnomer that you're playing in the game and there's a really physical wear-and-tear for all of them. A lot of them (took) limited reps. So guys that were under -- call it -- 15-20 reps, really they can still go practice today and still go have a good day. Really, it's geared more towards those starters that didn't play in the game yesterday, trying to give them this game-like feel."
Copying ideas from Payton and Parcells is far from dumb.
It also proved to be the right decision. Multiple accounts indicated the offense was off-kilter all afternoon with several drops and missed throws. The lack of focus was hard to miss.
Declan Doyle offered another glimpse into Johnson's mind.
This was the latest evidence that the head coach understands his players better than people realize. He sensed that the starters probably needed a lot more work, so he ran them through an hour-long workout session before the preseason opener and another 70-minute session the next day. Clearly, the group isn't ready yet. Johnson is determined to take every opportunity to get them there. If that means throwing in extra practice time, so be it. Declan Doyle has seen this approach work many times in the past. Payton turned Denver around after years of misery with it. Parcell did it everywhere he went, from New York to New England and Dallas. It is another reminder that for all his new-age thinking as a head coach, Johnson has plenty of old school in him.
