Windy City Gridiron
Ben Johnson has earned a lot of fans in the 18 months since he was hired to be the 18th coach in Bears franchise history. This is with good reason — Johnson, 40, won the NFC North, won a playoff game, reset a ‘Flus’d culture, and fed the City of Chicago.
Still, Johnson is not a finished product.
Johnson would be the first to admit it, too. In a press conference in March, Johnson reflected on a passing game that “leaves something to be desired.” As he put it, “coaching-wise, we need to do a better job getting the primary receiver open. Our route detail has to improve.”
In other press conferences, Johnson noted that coaching in general needed to improve for the Bears to take the next step. While Johnson’s responsibilities for the offense is more varied and more direct, he remains the head football coach, meaning that he is still responsible for a defense that ranked in the back half of the league in most metrics outside of takeaways.
Ben Johnson is not giving himself a pass, so why should we?
Not forcing it.
Johnson is already in the conversation of best playcallers and visionaries in the league. He’s motivated, tough, and relentless. But sometimes he can miss the layup in favor of a trick shot.
And let’s get this straight right away — I am not suggesting Ben be less aggressive; in fact, I think his aggression on 4th down, in the red zone, and going for chunk plays instead of dinking and dunking is what makes this offense special. The Bears cannot stop being aggressive.
However, there were too many times that Johnson made complex playcalls when simple would have sufficed.
Take for instance, the Bears version of the Stumblebum, a play made famous against the Bears during the 2024 season. The Bears were down in the second quarter 3-7 against the Raiders, and were faced with a 3rd and 1. Instead of trusting in Swift or Monangai (who had emerged by now) or attempted a bread and butter pass, the Bears tried to trick the Raiders, and it did not work.
The very next play? In their own territory, Caleb completed a pass to Swift for 7 yards to move the chains. A difference of aggression vs. overthinking it.
Another, and one that likely elicits groans from fans, was the botched snap over Monangai’s head against the Packers late in the season. The Bears found themselves driving down the field against the Packers, with an opportunity to put points on the board and take the lead. Instead, the Bears did a surprise snap through Cole Kmet’s legs and over the head of the 5’-8” Kyle Monangai.
Take a step back, and it’s easy to look at this moment as a mistake of overthinking it. At 4th and 1, in a tight ballgame, there are a lot of other playcalls that have a higher success...
