Bear Digest

Respected Bears assistant getting credit for newest team mantra

A slogan used by one of the Bears assistant coaches has captured the attention of players as they continue learning how to win in the NFL week to week.
Gene Chamberlain|
Vikings tight end Josh Oliver catches the ball against Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the season opener.
Vikings tight end Josh Oliver catches the ball against Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the season opener. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Teams adopt slogans as rallying points or battle cries and the Bears have had a few of those over the years.

The most impactful one until recently had been Ben Johnson's "good, better, best" yell in the locker room after wins, one that he traced back to his high school team. As it turns out, the saying credited to St. Jerome in the fourth century was adapted to 1940s-50s in sports and other fields. Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame outfielder Billy Williams had cited this in his autobiography as a source of inspiration after a teacher told it to him when he was growing up.

The Bears also have another mantra now and it's "live in the known."

Johnson said this isn't the result of something he told the team, either, but it has caught on quickly.

"I can’t take credit for that because, really, Antwaan Randle El is such an integral part of what we’re doing—really the entire coaching staff is doing a phenomenal job," Johnson said. "They really are."

Randle El, their receivers coach and assistant head coach, talks to  the entire team on Fridays each week.

"That’s something he kinda struck on a few weeks ago and it’s really starting to carry through for us," Johnson said. "He’s talking about, you start with this hope going into the season and you start pulling away with some of these wins and you start believing in what we’re doing and the progress we’re making as a team. The next step is knowing what’s going to happen next.

"I think he’s been the one behind that movement."

It sounds as if he's speaking about gaining confidence in the realization they have arrived as a team. The confidence does seem to be building with each win, and it shows in their ability to pull out close gams. The Bears are 4-1 in one-score games after losing their first one to this week's opponent, the Vikings.

The interesting part of this is how they're going up against a team this week well known for pulling out one-score games themselves.

The Vikings were 9-1 last year under coach Kevin O'Connell in one-score games, and finished 14-3 on the year. The one loss, though, was 31-29 to the Lions with Johnson as offensive coordinator.

"I think O'Connell, he was the coach of the year last year for a  reason," Johnson said. "He always has his guys playing and they're in all these one-score games and they usually find a way to come out on top of them."

Things change from year to year in the NFL, as the Vikings are 3-3 in  one-score games this year. They did beat the Bears in a one-score game to start the season, though, 27-24.

The Bears weren't coming off a season when they knew how to win close games, as they were 3-7 in one-score games. Now they have confidence they can win those types of games.

"We are a different team than we were Week 1," Johnson said. "So, is Minnesota. So, this will be a completely different matchup as far as I am concerned."

No sense living in the past, when they are living in the known.

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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.