Chicago Bears players have fully bought into new head coach Ben Johnson. You can tell just from how hard they play and how they react to him in the locker room. These are players who sense they have somebody running the show who gets it. However, their statements about him haven't changed. While they love the intensity, intelligence, and passion, they also can't help but notice how dialed in the guy can be. D.J. Moore called it creep. Others call it psychotic. Fans have seen the locker room speeches. What they haven't seen is what he's like on the sideline.
They finally got a taste on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Inside The NFL cameras were on him during the entire game. One thing became apparent right away. The man never changed his expression. Not one time in three hours. Defensive interception? Nope. Strip-sack? Uh uh. Rushing touchdown? Sorry. Johnson was like a granite statue the entire time. It was wild to watch, and kind of funny too. This must be what players were referring to when they described it as creepy.
Ben Johnson certainly isn't one to get distracted.
The man appears well-prepared for every game. Sure, he makes mistakes from time to time with certain play calls, but there haven't been any egregious head coaching moments. He's taken timeouts at the right times, gone for it on 4th down when the situation demanded it, and understood the right times to throw or pass. His ability to handle game management has been critical to the Bears' four-game win streak. That comment at the beginning of the video says it all
"I'm always watching."
Perfect slogan for a head coach, or maybe a serial killer. Either way, it's refreshing to see Ben Johnson take this seriously. He is only interested in winning football games and is prepared to do whatever it takes. If he forgets to celebrate or react emotionally at all in the process, so be it. There is always time for that in the locker room afterward.
