The Chicago Bears built their reputation in the early days on being the toughest, meanest teams on the field. They played hard-nosed football with a rugged ground attack, first with Bronko Nagurski and all the way through the era of Walter Payton. However, over the past 15 years, the Bears had seemed to lose that identity. They focused on joining the modern era, aiming to build a team centered around the quarterback. It didn't work. People no longer knew who the Bears wanted to be.
Ben Johnson changed that. From the moment he took over as head coach, he made one thing clear. The Bears were going to be a violent and physical football team on both sides of the ball. They have demonstrated that mindset since the season began, but never more so than during the win over the Cleveland Browns. Two nasty blocks set the tone for the day. It started with right guard Jonah Jackson pulling a trap run that saw him bury 1st round pick Mason Graham.
It didn't end there. Barely a minute later on the same drive, tight end Colston Loveland put superstar defensive end Myles Garrett on the turf with a perfectly-timed chip block.
The Chicago Bears are rebuilding their old reputation.
For years, it was well known among other NFL teams that when you faced Chicago, be prepared for a brawl. The famous saying was that they would win one of two things: the game or the fight. These Chicago Bears carry the same mindset. They won't win every game, but they will never be out-physicaled in a game. If you want a victory, you're going to have to earn it. Cleveland wasn't up to the task. Green Bay got a taste of it last week and will get another at Soldier Field on Saturday night.
Physicality alone won't win you championships. There have been plenty of violent teams throughout NFL history that didn't achieve much. The trick is marrying that violence with proper execution. Once you achieve that symphony, the wins follow. The Bears have caught snippets of it from time to time, but haven't mastered the art. Still, there are signs it's coming. This coaching staff is smart enough and tough enough to drill it into them. Everything else is about time and patience.
