LAKE FOREST, Ill. — During Ben Johnson’s virtual interview with the Chicago Bears, the team’s committee presented a problem for him to solve. They put it on the screen.
Here’s the score. Here’s the time left in the game situation.
Then they put him on the spot.
What are you thinking? What are you telling the quarterback? What’s your play?
He was locked in.
“I actually really appreciated that — because that’s really where I’ve thrived as a play caller over the last few years — being put on the hot seat and trying to think in real time,” he said.
The game-like situation presented to Johnson made the Bears’ interview unique, he said. He wanted to share that story about it. He enjoyed the challenge as he met with the Bears’ brass on Jan. 11. In the end, it likely helped him convey more of what he wanted to get across about himself.
“Listen, it’s no secret that I was being portrayed as an offensive guru,” Johnson told a group of reporters after his introductory news conference. “Whether I was quality control, position coach, tight end coach, receivers coach, coordinator, I’m whatever the job requires me to be. And so that’s where I really wanted to let those people know on every call that I had that there was more substance than maybe I articulated in any media session or what you might see on the sideline.”
Johnson wanted to be the Bears head coach. He wanted to continue to coach in the NFC North. And he wanted to make the Chicago area his home. For the last 10 years, he and his family have made visiting the city and attending Cubs games an annual trip.
“The first words out of his mouth were, ‘I want this job,’” chairman George McCaskey said. “The last thing he said before we turned off the camera was, ‘Did I tell you that I want this job?’ I was especially struck, and he referenced it in his comments, that this is the toughest division in football, and he wants to be here. He wants to go up against (Dan) Campbell, (Matt) LaFleur and (Kevin) O’Connell and wants to succeed in the toughest environment possible. I was very impressed by that.”
It would have been a red flag if he didn’t.
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After everything — the requests, the many hours spent on computer screens, the phone calls made and copious notes taken — the Bears’ wide-ranging search came down to reciprocating the feelings their top candidate had about them. That started with general manager Ryan Poles.
Through the Bears’ research, Poles discovered that Johnson took over his old cubicle at Boston College when he became the Eagles’ graduate assistant a year after Poles left. They share mutual contacts. The advanced data research of Matt Feinstein, the Bears’ director of football administration, also placed Johnson on top of their candidates list.
“He’s done a lot of things that are special to put an offense together to operate at a high, high level, and that stood out,” Poles said. “So, he was always the top candidate. But you never know. Just like the draft, you never know how it’s going to fall, so you have to be prepared. That’s the reason why we did what we did.”
The Bears interviewed 17 candidates, but Johnson was always a top target. They would have waited for him if the Detroit Lions had defeated the Washington Commanders and advanced in the playoffs. He wanted to coach the Bears and they wanted him. The Bears weren’t going to be stopped by Tom Brady, now a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. They were ready to act once the Lions were eliminated from the postseason.
“I’m fiscally conservative, but I’m also aggressive and I believe in being creative,” president/CEO Kevin Warren said. “I also believe that you get what you pay for. This is a situation where we needed to make sure we got the No. 1 candidate. And it’s not about the No. 1 candidate. It’s about the No. 1 candidate for the Chicago Bears.”
Said McCaskey: “I think in this situation the best we can do and the best I can do is listen, offer support, guidance, the benefit of our experience when called upon and to offer support. Ryan says this is the guy we want, and I said go get him.”
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Wednesday, Johnson described the Bears as a “sleeping giant.” He said the Bears concerned him the most heading into the 2024 season based on what happened in the previous year. He had problems with the Bears defense, especially running the ball. He later mentioned three defensive players by name — nickelback Kyler Gordon, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and defensive tackle Andrew Billings.
“This year, what was a little different than 2023 was Billings being out,” he said. “Him being out, we could feel that when we played Chicago.”
But the current roster made the Bears appealing to Johnson. This isn’t a full rebuild. He’s here to build an offense around Caleb Williams.
“Having a quarterback helps,” Johnson said.
Hearing all this was bittersweet for Poles. But it’s time to look forward. Johnson is where he wants to be, while Poles got his guy.
“You can take that both ways,” Poles said of Johnson’s comments. “It’s great, also frustrating because of what happened. But I do believe everything happens for a reason. But it’s good because he has a vision for the players that we have on the roster and also with the two of us putting our brains together, the direction we’re going to go, the players we’re going to bring here is going to be lined up and is going to be a lot of fun.”
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
