Bear Digest

It was the Bears' huddle break that broke Ben Johnson's patience

Bears coach explains why he took the first team offense off the field and went to the second team in the very first practice.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson had problems with the way the team broke the huddle in their first practice.
Ben Johnson had problems with the way the team broke the huddle in their first practice. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson thought it was an exaggeration to say he booted the offense out of practice on Wednesday, it was a question of semantics.

They were pulled off the field and the reason why was one normally addressed by now in prepations for the season.

They were having problems getting out of the huddle and to the line of scrimmage.

"I know some people enjoyed me throwing the first team out of practice," Johnson said sarcastically. "Not the case."

Although, it essentially was. They did get back on the field, though.

"We're on a time crunch, as you (media) all know," Johnson said. "We've got 90 minutes there that first day. We're up to 105 here today. We just need to keep things moving along there or else other guys weren't going to be able to get their reps."

So he pulled the first team off the field and let the second team get its reps when the huddle breaks weren't clean and quick. It was a little like a slow-moving group on a golf course being told to let others play through.

The goal for Johnson on the practice field with time limits as they are is to "keep the train moving."

"But point is, though, we've got to be on our Ps and our Qs and every minute, every rep is really valuable as well," he said.

It's an old problem from OTAs and he wouldn't pin it on quarterback Caleb Williams specifically.

"It's everybody," he said. "We're learning, we're growing. There were some things from the springtime expected to carry over. That was probably one that we just don't have any tolerance for. We've got to far to go."

Overall, Johnson didn't think it was a bad practice.

"Our guys, we've got to end up executing, getting in and out of the huddle a certain way," he added. "And it wasn't that way. We'll be better today."

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.