Intensity has been the one main word the beat reporters Chicago Bears have used to describe new head coach Ben Johnson and his staff. Johnson has been intense in practices, yelling at players at times for mistakes in practice.
Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy has brought the fire during OTAs. Johnson wanted to create an atmosphere of competition during OTAs and in training camp, with players working to earn the coaching staff’s trust and playing time.
The intensity from the staff has been infectious.
Tempers flared at Chicago Bears practice on Tuesday
Per Zack Pearson of Bear Report, four Bears offensive players called out safety Jaquan Brisker for what appeared to be a late hit on wide receiver Rome Odunze during the first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
“On one play, safety Jaquan Brisker looked like he hit Rome Odunze late on a play, forcing the ball out,” Pearson wrote. “Odunze didn’t like it, and his teammates, D’Andre Swift, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet had something to say to Brisker. It didn’t go past that.”
Fortunately, the incident didn’t go beyond words. Though the situation might have been different if they had been in full pads in the heat of training camp.
Brisker is known for jawing with offensive players during games. He’s also known for being a physical player, something those offensive players will enjoy watching when he’s hitting opponents this fall.
It’s a good sign for the Bears that Brisker is flying around the ball. He played in only five games last season due to a concussion he suffered in Week against the Carolina Panthers. He finished the final 12 games of the season in the concussion protocol.
