Coaching for the Chicago Bears is not easy. If it were, the organization would’ve had more successful ones over the past 30 years. Instead, it’s been a lot of mediocre or bad with one instance of pretty good. One could make the case that the past decade has seen the absolute worst stretch of Bears coaches in franchise history. It started with Marc Trestman, followed by John Fox, Matt Nagy, and finally Matt Eberflus. Between the four of them, they managed a record of 75-116. That stretch includes one winning record and one division title. It feels like nothing short of divine intervention can pull this organization out of the quicksand. Enter Ben Johnson.
Most agree the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is the hottest coaching candidate on the market. He’s had three straight years of unparalleled success, helping guide a previously futile organization to its best-sustained stretch of winning in decades. However, some worry if the 38-year-old is mentally equipped for the pressure cooker Chicago can be. One person who knows a lot about that is John Shoop. The longtime coach spent five seasons with the organization between 1999 and 2003, with the final three as offensive coordinator. He also mentored Johnson when they were together at North Carolina. Shoop expressed to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune whether he thinks his protege can handle such a monumental task.
“Just uncommonly bright,” said Shoop of Johnson, who graduated from North Carolina with degrees in mathematics and computer science. “Ben is very intelligent but also has the interpersonal skill to match that. He was the conduit between me and T.J. He gets the sophistication of football.
“Kind of like I have, I think Ben sees coaching as a noble profession. You are helping people become the best they can be. The other thing I will say about Ben, I think this is important, he’s seen fire and he’s seen rain in this business. And everything he’s gotten in this profession, he’s earned. He has worked his way up in this profession, and guys like that I really admire.”…
…“What I’ll say about that I will probably keep between Ben and I,” Shoop said. “But I’ll say this: It was some of the greatest years of my life. I absolutely loved it, and Chicago, when you’re coaching for the Bears, you experience every single emotion there is. And Ben is wired right and he has the foundation to really be able to handle that. He is grounded in something a little deeper than just wins and losses and I think he’s got the wherewithal to handle all that goes with that in a big city. It’s full throttle. He knows that.”
He watched Dan Campbell utilize it in Detroit for the past few years. He also saw another former Bears coach, Adam Gase, have some success doing the same in Miami. While his stint there didn’t go as planned, Gase became the first coach in eight years to lead the Dolphins to the playoffs. Elevating hard-luck franchises is something Johnson has been part of throughout his NFL experience. He would have a good education on what to do and what not to do if and when he did get the job.
Reports have persisted that Ben Johnson is intrigued with the Bears. He wanted the job this year, but Eberflus managed to survive. Now that the job is open again, the allure likely hasn’t diminished. Caleb Williams looks exactly like the gifted quarterback he was in college despite some rookie inconsistencies. Throw in lots of cap space and three picks in the first two rounds? The Bears are equipped for a rapid turnaround if the right coach steps in. If Johnson is the guy Shoop says he is, the decision should be easy.
