NFL Insider Reveals Why Ben Johnson's Matt LaFleur Comment Wasn't a Friendly Jab

New Bears coach had jokes on his first day.
Ben Johnson lands his first Matt LaFleur joke as a head coach.
Ben Johnson lands his first Matt LaFleur joke as a head coach. / CoachSpeakIndex onX

Everyone associated with the Chicago Bears was very fired up on Wednesday as Ben Johnson embarked on his first day at the office. Including Johnson himself. The wunderkind offensive coordinator went out of his way to mention Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur during his introductory press conference, saying he enjoyed beating him twice a year. Which he'll continue to have the opportunity to do as he's joining the Packers' most hated rival.

Johnson beat LaFleur twice in back-to-back years when he was scheming up Dan Campbell's offensive attack. It's a clever line that's as close to funny as a coach is allowed to be. It's also a strange thing to do considering the two coaches don't have any shared history.

Peter Schrager dove into the topic on Good Morning Football on Thursday morning.

"Matt LaFleur does not know Ben Johnson, Ben Johnson does not know Matt LaFleur," Schrager said. "He called his name out in a press conference at his opening coach address, meaning that's forever. He'll always have that moment."

Was this a bold choice? Was it funny? Did it show a lot of hubris? Yes to all of those questions.

Much will be made of it. Johnson will look like a genius and a hero or a real fool based on results. But at the end of the day it's the results that really matter—not one coach saying another coach's name—for everyone involved.


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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.