Bear Digest

Ben Johnson's statement about practice habits already resonating with Bears players

Ben Johnson was critical of his players' practice habits on Wednesday, and the message was received loud and clear.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson sent a very direct and no-nonsense message to his players on Wednesday. Facing a critical Week 3 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, one in which the season can be salvaged with the Bears' first win, or all but lost by falling to 0-3, something needs to change.

And it starts with practice.

"I think our practice habits are yet to reflect a championship caliber team," he said.

Bears players, including Caleb Williams, heard the message loud and clear. ESPN Bears insider Courtney Cronin shared the latest update from Halas Hall:

Here are Caleb Williams' thoughts on the "we're talking about practice!" drama:

It's encouraging that this Bears roster is taking Johnson's comments to heart. Remember: this is Year 1 of his regime. While Bears fans are concerned about wins and losses, Johnson's priority (or, one of them, at least) is making sure he has his guys who practice his way and who he can trust.

It doesn't sound like this roster is all the way there, yet.

Chciago Bears fans should be thrilled they have a head coach who won't let his players rest on their reputations. Let's face it, none of the Bears' starters should feel safe in their role. This is a team that only won five games in 2024. Aside from players like Jaylon Johnson and Joe Thuney, there's no one on this team that should think their resume is enough to stay in the starting lineup.

We'll see whether Johnson's tough love is enough to jumpstart this team to its first win of the 2025 season. They face a tough matchup against an explosive Dallas Cowboys team that just dropped 40 points on a quality New York Giants defense in Week 2.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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