The Chicago Bears knew they needed not just a new head coach at the start of last year, but a complete culture shift. Matt Eberflus brought his H.I.T.S principles with him from Indianapolis, but it became clear early on that he lacked several traits necessary for a successful head coach. One of them was the ability to hold himself, players, or assistants accountable. That reality caught up to him midway through 2024 and ended up costing him his job. People weren't sure if Ben Johnson would be any different.
They knew the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator was an offensive wizard. He'd proven that for three years. That wasn't the concern. Could this 38-year-old be a leader? Many young men enter this job without a proper understanding of how to manage a locker room. Matt Nagy ran into that problem during his tenure. He came across as too rah-rah. Not enough willingness to tell players what they needed to hear. Johnson doesn't have that problem. He made that clear with his comments at his latest presser.
“The role of the head coach is not to be a cheerleader. It’s to say it like it is. If something pops up and I feel like it needs to be said, then I say it. If I don’t, then we keep it moving.
We’ve got a great group of guys. We’ve got a prideful group. We’ve earned a division title. We’ve earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Those are things that we’re certainly proud about, and at the same time, the season’s not over. It’s just starting for us, and our guys understand that. We can play better than what we played at the end of the season and that’s really our expectation going forward.”
Ben Johnson understands his greatest asset is the truth.
Former Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown alluded to this last year. He said he felt that too many coaches aren't willing to actually coach. That means telling players the truth, even if it's something they don't want to hear. The job of the head coach is to win football games. To do that requires getting players to perform at their best. Such things won't happen if guys keep making mistakes. Those mistakes won't be corrected unless the head coach tells guys they're making them.
We already know Ben Johnson isn't afraid to make those comments. Players have said he's on them about such things all the time. The trick is not to be mean-spirited about it. Don't be demeaning. Just be honest. It sounds like Johnson is able to toe that line. That is why he should end up having a long career in Chicago. They haven't had a coach capable of this in many years. Mike Ditka had that mentality, but was never known for a delicate touch. Johnson can play both sides of the fence, and that should lead to big things.
