Ben Johnson isn't expected to take the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl. That is hardly a surprise. He's inheriting a team that just went 5-12 last season. He has a young quarterback he needs to fix and an offense to overhaul. Still, one would think that after his accomplishments in Detroit, he'd get some respect from people watching NFL football. To a degree, he has. However, somehow, people still found a way to insult him. It came when Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski revealed his rankings for new head coaches based on projected success this season.
Johnson came in third. That seems like a reasonable spot given his inexperience and the Bears' lack of winning in recent years. Chicago will likely go 9-8. Pete Carroll, a future Hall of Famer, ranked ahead of him at #2. Fair enough. Where it gets truly disrespectful is who sat at #1.
1. Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys
Furthermore, the Cowboys invested in positions around the quarterback this offseason. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders are talented running backs. Wide receiver George Pickens finally gives Dallas a true threat opposite CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys once again invested a first-round pick in an offensive line, with Tyler Booker set to fill in the void left by the incomparable Zack Martin.
With Micah Parsons and the Cowboys' new-look defense under coordinator Matt Eberflus added to the mix, Dallas is poised to win a high level this fall.
PROJECTED RECORD: 11-6
Let's get this straight.
Johnson had the best offense in football for three years in a row. He was the primary reason the Lions became contenders. Yet somehow, a guy who coordinated the 17th-ranked offense in the league last year for a team that went 7-10 is poised for a better season? Never mind that the defense was 28th last year, they lost much of their best coaching talent, and they share a division with two teams that played each other in the NFC Championship.
Ben Johnson got more motivational material. As if he needed it.
People can already see that the Bears' head coach is a crazy competitor. His intensity in practice alone is evidence of that. Putting him on a lower pedestal than a guy who couldn't hold his clipboard as a play caller is sure to light a fire in his belly. It feels like Schottenheimer gets the benefit of the doubt because he has the more experienced quarterback. Even so, it feels like the better coach got dismissed as "maybe he'll have a winning record." Analysts already took a shot at Caleb Williams, stating he'd be no better than Jordan Love this year. Now, Johnson caught some flak. The fuel is overflowing if the Bears are looking for ways to rev up their engines.
