The last three seasons, former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus preached the Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways/The Ball and Smarts (HITS) principles. Though that message resonated with the players for a while, it didn't sound like Eberflus himself was the most intense coach. That is likely one of the many reasons things fell apart for him in Chicago.
On the other hand, it already sounds like new head coach Ben Johnson is bringing his intensity. During the first day of open OTAs on Wednesday, both Adam Hoge of CHGO and Nicholas Moreano noted the stark difference.
Moreano said, "[Ben Johnson] had to blow the whistle several times to correct things that were wrong with plays. If something was off, Johnson wasn't going to let anything slide."
Hoge added a bit more context reporting, noting things looked a little bit sloppy pre-snap Wednesday and Ben Johnson wasn't having it. Hoge asked Johnson if his level of agitation was normal during his media availability.
Johnson said, "You saw agitation today? Yeah, I thought that was normal. I'll work to get my body language under control. I'm talking about that with the players, so I need to do a better job myself. I’m on it."
Ben Johnson Already Showing his Intensity Early in OTAs
Hoge and Moreano's reports about Johnson's intensity should not come as a surprise to Bears fans. After all, this is a coach who comes from a franchise thats pulled off an improbable turnaround from bottom-feeder to NFC leader. You don't get those type of results without being incredibly strong-willed and determined to get the very best out of your personnel.
Johnson's intensity and agitation when things aren't going right are exactly what the Bears players need. During last offseason, reports indicated Chicago was having a tough time with pre-snap penalties. This issue carried into the season, where the Bears were flagged 34 for such mistakes on offense.
With Johnson now at the helm, these and any other issues the team sees during the preseason should be dealt with before the season starts. That is a welcome change for a Bears team whose attention to detail lacked in 2024.