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After a 5-12 season in 2024, it was clear the Chicago Bears weren’t getting the most out of first overall draft pick Caleb Williams. Heading into the offseason, the Bears made pairing the passer with an offensive-minded head coach. And Chicago landed highly-coveted former Detroit Lions’ OC Ben Johnson, making him one of the best-paid coaches in the NFL.
Johnson was attracted to the Bears job in large part due to Williams potential. And Johnson’s offensive creativity is sure to be on full display with Williams under center.
“We’ll take inspiration from anywhere. It doesn’t matter where it comes from, we’ll have a whole library of plays from college football, from around the NFL, shoot, we’ve had referees come visit practice and they’ve handed me some things on sheets of paper as well. So, wherever it comes from, there is no bad idea, we’ll take anything out there,” Johnson said on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
While the Bears’ coach is well known for his diverse and effective playbook, the revelation that referees have provided him with ideas for play calls is pretty surprising. The NFL experienced a bit of backlash last season as some coaches, players and fans believed the Kansas City Chiefs benefited from officials making controversial calls in their favor.
The perceived favoritism reached a boiling point in the Chiefs’ divisional round win over the Texans. Accusations of a conspiracy aimed at helping Kansas City three-peat as champions grew so loud that the NFL Referees Association had to address the controversy. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also chimed in.
As it turns out, we should have been looking at Johnson all along. Clearly the refs have been assisting the former offensive coordinator, going so far as to actually draw up plays for him.
Johnson taking play suggestions from referees demonstrates the lengths to which he’ll go to find a call that works. Last season, Johnson garnered attention for a wild play design in which Jared Goff pretended to fumble, stumbling into his drop before suddenly turning and firing down field to an open Sam LaPorta for the touchdown. The fake fumble served as a fleaflicker, where defenders were pulled up to the line while the receiver got a step on the secondary.
Johnson was inspired to create this play after Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love actually did fumble the snap on a play before recovering and throwing a touchdown to a wide open tight end. The Love play took place in early 2023. Johnson waited until December 2024 to unleash his version in a game.
With Johnson drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, the Bears offense should be fun to watch next season. Johnson’s creativity paired with Williams’ talent could lead to a Bears breakout in 2025.
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