You couldn't have alluded to it better.
This season's first meeting between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions saw the final nail hammered into the coffin of former head coach Matt Eberflus. In what was maybe the worst example of time management this season, across the league, Eberflus dug his own grave against Detroit.
We know by now, the following day, Eberflus was fired.
Ironically enough, in these two teams' second meeting of the year this past weekend, the Bears may have been given every reason why they should hire Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to replace the vacancy left by Eberflus.
What Johnson's offense did to the Bears in Week 16 was nothing short of a clinical performance. And, it led to Chicago's ninth-straight loss.
Tuesday, when speaking to the media, current offensive coordinator Chris Beatty talked about one of the Bears' biggest problems that hasn't gone away. And, in a roundabout way, Beatty told us exactly why Chicago should be all-in on hiring Johnson.
Beatty said that the Bears offense has been “lacking the tempo and the rhythm pretty much all season."
Well, it just so happens that the Lions are pretty good in those areas under Johnson.
To date, the Detroit offense is number four in the league in total offensive plays per game with 65.5. Aside from their defense having an impact there, this definitely speaks to a positive tempo.
But, here's where it gets better: the Lions are no. 2 in the NFL in EPA (expected points added) per play at 0.502, just behind Buffalo. So, not only are the Lions great at establishing an up-tempo offense, they're also efficient with the overwhelming number of plays they're averaging.
Ben Johnson is expected to interview for the Bears' head coaching job, and that's a big deal
Lost in a lot of this Johnson chatter, lately, is the report that came about stating Johnson is expected to interview for the Bears' head coaching vacancy.
This is a huge development, because as we've known for a little while now, it's been well-reported that Johnson is not going to take just any and every interview request. He's only going to take an interview if he envisions himself ultimately taking that job.
Since Eberflus' firing, there have been plenty of rumors and reports in regards to which candidates the Bears will be interested in. A lot of fans are interested in Johnson, but at the same time, many like the idea of bringing in someone like Mike Vrabel, Brian Flores or Aaron Glenn.
What's clear is the fact that the Bears need a real leader to come in and shake things up; change the culture. That's maybe the only real question mark with Johnson. We don't know if he has the personality or the chops, so to speak, to motivate and lead a football team.
If it's found out that he does, indeed, have what it takes to do that, then he might just be the perfect coach for this Bears team. What he's done in Detroit, since Day 1, has been impressive. His offense is continually in the top handful around the league.
And, envisioning the Bears building a Ben Johnson offense for Caleb Williams, assuming they finally address the offensive line? That's a heck of a thought.
