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One Potential Danger Bears Coach Ben Johnson's Comments Create for Year 2

When the Bears coach discussed plans for the coming season during the NFL owners meetings, one, in particular, should have had fans' hair standing on end.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson has talked about altering his approach as a coach in Year 2. Should Bears fans be worried?
Ben Johnson has talked about altering his approach as a coach in Year 2. Should Bears fans be worried? | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It could be time for Bears fans to worry about the end of the status quo.

During all of the interviews Bears coach Ben Johnson did at the owners meetings, one small comment might be something troubling. It's not hard to imagine it can be an issue.

In a Q and A for the Daily Herald by Shaw Newspaper' Michal Dwojak, the Bears' coach was responding to a query about how he coaches in Year 2.

"I do know that I need to spend more time (with) defense and special teams going forward, especially now that we’ve got the bones in place of what we want the offense to look like," Johnson said. "I feel strongly about that staff that I’ll be able to free up a little bit more to coach the whole team. So feel really good about that."

There is every reason to be worried about this statement.

Uh oh

Johnson stepped up to the plate as an unknown last year. Sure, everyone knew he could coach offense from his time as a coordinator in Detroit. What no one knew was whether he could be the head guy who directed the show.

Johnson did this in a way that probably could have won him coach of the year had there not been so many other rags-to-riches teams last season. He established his credentials as the offensive leader and overall team boss going forward in a way that even those who finished ahead of him in coach of the year voting did not.

"Good, better, best," was a trademark for that team before anyone began considering Iceman as a trademark.

The first reason to be fearful is that now it appears he's altering a proven formula. Ask Coke how new Coke went. It worked. Leave it alone.

Leave Dennis Allen be

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen found a way to hold up his end last season even when he didn't have the type of talent conducive to his system. This insufficiency has become apparent as they made changes during the free agency period and the new league year.

Allen couldn't control the line of scrimmage and teams drove up and down the field on them, so they took away the football to make up for it. Teams can't count on so many takeaways every year, although it is possible to be in the top 10 consistently at this and Allen's Saints defenses—even Matt Eberflus' Colts of 2018-21—proved this much.

Either way, Allen did enough to show he is capable of putting the defense in position to make up for lack of talent. He also showed he can account for injuries when they occur. There were far too many of those last year on his side of the ball, but they made up for it.

The defensive process appears sound even though the personnel was not.

Johnson knows plenty about defensive football. He must, in order to attack defenses. He also was good enough as an all-around coach that Zac Taylor in Cincinnati thought about hiring him to coach defense.

How it worked last year

During last season, Johnson described his approach to his defense at a press conference.

“I’ve got ideas that I’ll spitball,” Johnson said. “It’s good for my education as well, it helps me grow as a coach I’m there to help support and I do like to challenge occasionally and learn.”

He even voiced support for what he was seeing from Allen.

"(Allen) has a great grasp on his system, so I’m not gonna micromanage that," Johnson said. "He’s done it at a high level for a long time and that’s part of the reason he came here."

If Allen gets it done on that side of the ball, why should their be responsibility creep? It's not like the offense had so much success that Johnson needs something else to do and must let his touch expand out to the other aspects of the team.

Lots to do on offense

For one, he has a new offensive coordinator in Press Taylor and working through the challenges of new people in different roles is always a challenge. There will be plenty to prove on that side of the ball.

Besides, was what the Bears did on offense so incredible that it made them elite? They may have vaulted from last to sixth on offense but at last glance they scored 10 points in an overtime game and had their season ended because of it. That was 17 points in five quarters against a defense that gave up 31 to the Seahawks the next week.

Beyond the points, Caleb Williams may have made a great leap forward in leading comebacks but he obviously failed early in games and completed the lowest percentage of passes for a playoff quarterback (58.1%) since Andrew Luck did in 2012 (54.1%).

Unless that completion percentage picks up, and unless the Bears can be more effective earlier in games against a more difficult schedule this year, they'll have problems. You can't count on success with comebacks just like you can't count on taking the ball away all the time.

There is plenty there to do with the offense for Johnson, and that doesn't even include how they must now figure out an offensive line with two different starters.

Allen has already proven he can adjust. They need to trust he can do this.

Johnson said upon arrival that delegating authority was a strength he learned from Dan Campbell. He needs to stick by this.

Meanwhile, Johnson should have plenty to do on offense without branching out and becoming the micromanager on defense that he said he hasn't been.

When Johnson said at the owners meetings and after the season that he doesn't want to hear about last year, his coaching style is definitely something that SHOULD be repeated and not ignored.

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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.

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