Bear Digest

Make way for the bad guy: How Ben Johnson is changing Bears culture

After four decades as the lovable losers of the NFL, are the Chicago Bears becoming villains?
Pete Martuneac|
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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In the cult classic gangster film 'Scarface', Tony Montana, a kingpin smuggler played by Al Pacino, leaves a fancy restaurant while angrily ranting about all the wealthy people who look down their noses at him, saying, "You need people like me, so you can point your fingers and say that's the bad guy. So what's that make you? Good? You're not good... so say good night to the bad guy! Come on, make way for the bad guy!" Despite living a life of paranoia and crushing loneliness, Montana embraced what he deemed a vital role in society: the villain.

Similarly, that appears to be the role that Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is willingly taking on. We already knew that he was an obsessive perfectionist. From reports of him screaming at players in training camp over a huddle break to his brooding presence on the sidelines during games, Johnson had all the appearances of a coach who only cares about winning.

Now, after a postgame rant about the Packers which went viral this weekend, Johnson has apparently taken the next step in his coaching arc and become a villain. By association, this makes the Bears the bad guys of the NFL. If you prefer a different styling, they are the Bad Boy Bears, the football successors to the Bad Boy Pistons. They're going to win by whatever means necessary, and if you don't like it, they'll tell you exactly what they think of you.

This image may not be for everyone, but for plenty of Bears fans, this is a breath of fresh air after the 'aw shucks' aura that permeated this team for the last 15 years. As one caller into the "670 The Score" radio program said, "It's about time that Chicago's got that swagger. Any time we've won a championship, we've had a dog. If that makes Ben Johnson the heel, the enemy of the league, I say bring it on."

The Bears needed a 'heel turn' more than any other franchise

He's not wrong. The last coach to take the Bears to the Super Bowl was Lovie Smith, who was known for his no-nonsense coaching. And of course, the only Super Bowl-winning coach was Mike Ditka, a man with a personality so large that Bears fans still dress up like him 40 years later.

Ben Johnson gets it. He understands what it takes to build a winning culture, and part of that is a renewed Bears-Packers rivalry. So long as they were Green Bay's punching bag, the nice guys getting obliterated twice a year by the NFC North bullies, the Bears were never going to rise to the top. In just one season, however, Johnson has flipped that script on its head and is making no apologies for humiliating "that team up north".

This approach does come with risks. Being a brash, take-no-crap kind of coach will wear real thin, real fast if the Bears start losing again. It may also earn Ben Johnson some powerful NFL enemies. But that's for next year. For now, the Bears are focused on their upcoming Bears-Rams Divisional matchup. The oddsmakers all heavily favor the Rams in this one, but that will only add fuel to the fire.

Make way for the bad guy, Los Angeles. He's got his sights set on the Super Bowl, and you're in the way.

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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