The Chicago Bears fell short of expectations last season and a big reason why was their lack of attention to detail. Former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was the first to take the fall before head coach Matt Eberflus was fired before Thanksgiving in what resulted to a 5-12 campaign.
Ben Johnson was hired from the Detroit Lions to solve the problem and the Bears once again have high expectations under second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. But Chicago’s old habits have resurfaced again during training camp and it leaves Johnson sending a message to his team.
Ben Johnson Not Pleased With Bears Execution During Training Camp
Scott Bair of Marquee Sports documented the Bears early struggles and noted the team had issues getting lined up during a 7-on-7 drill. Things got to the point where Williams suggested the team re-huddle but Johnson pulled the plug, sending in his second unit to complete the drill. When Johnson ripped into his new team for the lack of execution, tight end Cole Kmet told reporters he couldn’t remember the message he gave to his team with all of the yelling.
“I think I was a little exhausted so all I heard was a little bit of yelling and I knew that obviously things weren’t going well there the last few plays,” Kmet said. “That’s on par for Ben. If you’re not doing it right, he’s gonna get you out and he’s not going to just see that stuff continue.”
The example is a double-edged sword as Johnson begins his first season in Chicago. The mastermind of the Detroit Lions offense, Johnson is a stickler for the details and was described as “firey” and “intense” as the Bears reported to camp. But it’s also a message to a team that clearly wasn’t good enough to sustain its early season success last season and already questioning what type of team they want to be.
“It’s just a lesson to us that you gotta be on the details,” Kmet continued. “We’ve gotta be on the details going into practice and we’re going to get our reps in. Because you know unfortunately when that type of stuff happens, we’ve got guys now missing out on reps and those are opportunities for guys to make a team or whatever. All the reps are important. All of it matters.”
This is the type of hard coaching the Bears were hoping for when bringing Johnson to Chicago. But with a month left until their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings, they’ll have to get things right if they want to have a successful first year.