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After bragging about culture for three years with Matt Eberflus, it became evident the former Chicago Bears head coach didn’t have the personality to hold a locker room together. Much of that came from his constant inability to handle end-of-game situations, constantly costing his team victories. Players lost faith in him. That is why GM Ryan Poles was forced to fire him. He knew the team needed a culture shock with whoever the next guy was. That was how the Bears landed on Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Some people were skeptical. Nobody doubts the man is an offensive wizard. He should be great at developing Caleb Williams. However, they wonder if he has charisma and a single-minded purpose to grab the attention of players as a leader. Veteran offensive lineman Dan Skipper was around to watch Johnson’s rise in Detroit. He knows exactly the type of coach the Bears are getting, and he sent a warning to the players via Kalyn Kahler of ESPN. Stay out of his way if you know what’s good for you.
Ben Johnson is the jolt this team needs.
It is evident from watching him that he is big on details. Every player is required to know their exact responsibilities from play to play. If they don’t execute with proper precision, he will let them know it. That may sound harsh, but football isn’t called a game of inches for no reason. The smallest mistakes can have devastating consequences. That is why the best head coaches often don’t let the little things slide. Don’t expect to spend much time on the field if you’re not on top of things on every play.
Ben Johnson brings that to the table. Eberflus had a bad tendency to let things slide. Players complained about it this past season, saying guys were too lax in practice about the little things. That won’t fly under this head coach. Johnson will root those players out right away, which might explain why his agent hinted there could be more roster turnover than fans are expecting. It was the same thing that happened with Mike Ditka all those years ago. Only those ready to put in the work will stay.
