When people look at how the Chicago Bears are constructed from a coaching perspective, most of the credit for the team's offensive success goes to Ben Johnson. That is only natural. It's his system. He calls the plays. Everything runs through him. That is why there wasn't much of a reaction when the team hired Declan Doyle as the offensive coordinator. He was viewed as Johnson's glorified assistant, tasked with taking some of the workload off the head coach during game preparation and offering ideas on new play designs.
However, the team has found that his value goes deeper than that. Aside from being a highly intelligent coach himself, Doyle had the benefit of working under one of the best in the business for years. Sean Payton will end up in the Hall of Fame one day. He has a ring and has enjoyed extended success with two different franchises. One lesson he taught Doyle in their time together was understanding how to weather the storm early in a season. The young assistant explained to Adam Jahns of CHGO.
This influence apparently found its way into the Bears' locker room.
But Doyle’s an integral part of Ben Johnson’s operation. He’s seen (Sean) Payton at work when things need to be figured out early in the season.
“We’ve always been process-oriented,” Doyle said. “So we just go right back to what is going to allow us during the week – the decisions we make – how are we going to create championship-level habits that are going to carry us in those moments? Because in those big games, when you want a result, you’re just going to do what you did in practice.
“And so the biggest thing is getting back to, ‘Alright, what do we value as an offense? What do we think championship level looks like on Wednesday? Let’s look like that on Wednesday and let’s commit to that – to each other.’ And then you’re also figuring out who are guys that might not be all into that. And that’s a process as you go, but you just go right back to the process. That’s the biggest thing.”
Declan Doyle influence can be seen in changes the Bears made.
After their blowout loss in Detroit to reach 0-2, the team implemented changes in the aftermath. They started by upping the intensity at practice. Coach Johnson said he felt their habits weren't at a championship level, which aligns with what Declan Doyle mentioned above. Then came the next part: identifying which players were the weak links in the chain. Left tackle Braxton Jones was benched the next week in Las Vegas. That sent a clear message to everybody else that they had better start picking up their games.
Chicago beat the Raiders and then went into Washington, stunning the Commanders with their second straight fourth-quarter comeback. Just like that, the Bers were 3-2. Their season is alive. It's nothing new for Doyle, having seen it done several times by Payton in New Orleans and Denver. Credit to him for remembering the lessons and communicating them to Johnson when needed.
