When the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson to be their head coach, they hoped he’d come in and create a dynamic offense while building team success. There has been growing pains through the halfway point of his first season, especially with pre-snap penalties hindering the offense, and Johnson has acknowledged that it’ll all be a work in progress.
Coming over from the Detroit Lions, where he served as offensive coordinator for three seasons, Johnson was one of the hottest commodities on the coaching market this offseason, and Chicago got their guy. The first-time head coach has made some big strides with the Bears offense, most importantly with quarterback Caleb Williams. But he’s not ready to pat himself on the back.
Ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Johnson was asked how he would grade himself in the play calling area up to this point. Making it a point to say his biggest focus is to have his players believe in him and what they’re building together, Johnson also said he looks at himself when the offense isn’t clicking.
“It’s the first thing you look at when things aren’t clicking, and you don’t feel like you’re in a rhythm as an offense,” Johnson said. “I always look in the mirror, what could I do a little bit better there? I didn’t love our third down play when I went back and I looked at it. I thought they did a really nice job defending us and we didn’t do enough to counter that, and that’s on me.
“I have to do a better job of that. I know why I did everything in the moment, why I call things, everything has a reason. And yet when it doesn’t click the way we want it to, then I just question whether I should have done something or done something else. At the end of the day, we’re all in it together. I want those guys to understand that I take a lot of ownership of what we put on tape, as do they. It’s really important that they understand we’re all in the same boat.”
It’s very refreshing to hear a Bears head coach be completely transparent and honest with the media when reflecting on his performance. There’s no doubting how much the culture has shifted in Chicago with Johnson’s arrival, especially with the offense, but it’s going to take time for it to all come together. For a franchise that has only been to the playoffs twice since 2010, building consistent success is all the fanbase, and the organization, is hoping for.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson evaluates himself as play caller so far
