The Chicago Bears made one of the splashiest hires of the NFL offseason by luring Ben Johnson away from their NFC North rival, the Detroit Lions, to take the reins of the organization in the Windy City.
While Johnson and Bears GM Ryan Poles have hit the ground running regarding rebuilding and reshaping this roster, upgrading the players on the field isn't the only area Johnson looks to take advantage of his competition. There is no doubt who is winning the war of minds to this point between Johnson and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LeFleur.
In his introductory press conference, Johnson took a subtle dig at the Packers coach by saying he "kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year." Naturally, those comments were well-received by Bears fans who have been forced to hear nothing but trash talk come from Green Bay for years.
During an appearance on the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast, LaFleur saw the topic raised again, and this time, the question of whether there was any sort of "beef" between the two. As you can see from the clip below, the Packers' head coach attempted to deflect the question and pour some water on the fiery rivalry between Chicago and Green Bay.
"I don't know Ben Johnson," LaFleur said. "Do I have beef? I don't know Ben Johnson. I respect him as a football coach, he did a nice job (in Detroit). I thought it was interesting, the press conference was interesting, but I don't have beef with him. I don't get all into that stuff."
LaFleur can say all the right things until he is blue in the face, but the fact remains that there is bad blood between these two fan bases, even if it is slanted a bit in one direction more than the other. This is just how things go when you run a quarterback out there who was as cocky as Aaron Rodgers during his tenure in Green Bay.
Sports are the greatest form of reality television, and Ben Johnson is doing his part to take on the longtime "bully" of the NFC North. Count me in among those who are thrilled to see it.