It's Ben Johnson

[Stinger226]

1 hour ago, adam said:

This is an amazing hire. He was my top choice, but I expected Monken or McCarthy. 

This is not Nagy 2.0. Johnson called plays for 3 years in DET. In all 3, they had a top 5 scoring and yardage offense. The last time the Bears had that was in the early 60s. 

If you just go back in the Bears coaching hires, this one is the biggest fish. Flus was meh, Nagy was exciting, but a huge question mark about playcalling, which ultimately was his downfall. Fox was always just an interim guy to get the locker room back after Trestman. So Lovie was the last coach of this caliber.

If they fix the OLine, get a true speedster and upgrade at TE2, this offense is comparable to DET next offseason. RB is about the only thing that the Bears would be lacking in, unless they sign or draft someone there. However, the WR Room is already solid with Moore and Odunze. Obviously Kmet at TE, and the biggest position is QB where Johnson is going from Goff to Williams. Nothing was easy for Williams, yet he still broke numerous rookie records. 

Goff numbers tell the story, he regressed in LA, they traded him, he struggled in Year 1 without Johnson, then Johnson arrived and since then he has AVERAGED over 4,500 passing yards a season with over 32 TDs. 

Not sure why everyone keeps saying we need an upgrade at TE2? The OC didn't scheme targets for Kmet let alone Everett. Everett problem was lack of targets. Now we need an upgrade of a blocking TE .

[AZ54]

20 minutes ago, Stinger226 said:

Not sure why everyone keeps saying we need an upgrade at TE2? The OC didn't scheme targets for Kmet let alone Everett. Everett problem was lack of targets. Now we need an upgrade of a blocking TE .

Everett’s problem was a lack of effort

[Mongo3451]

I like the energy! 

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EZXmTsPPF/

[DABEARSDABOMB]

2 hours ago, adam said:

This is an amazing hire. He was my top choice, but I expected Monken or McCarthy. 

This is not Nagy 2.0. Johnson called plays for 3 years in DET. In all 3, they had a top 5 scoring and yardage offense. The last time the Bears had that was in the early 60s. 

If you just go back in the Bears coaching hires, this one is the biggest fish. Flus was meh, Nagy was exciting, but a huge question mark about playcalling, which ultimately was his downfall. Fox was always just an interim guy to get the locker room back after Trestman. So Lovie was the last coach of this caliber.

If they fix the OLine, get a true speedster and upgrade at TE2, this offense is comparable to DET next offseason. RB is about the only thing that the Bears would be lacking in, unless they sign or draft someone there. However, the WR Room is already solid with Moore and Odunze. Obviously Kmet at TE, and the biggest position is QB where Johnson is going from Goff to Williams. Nothing was easy for Williams, yet he still broke numerous rookie records. 

Goff numbers tell the story, he regressed in LA, they traded him, he struggled in Year 1 without Johnson, then Johnson arrived and since then he has AVERAGED over 4,500 passing yards a season with over 32 TDs. 

Lovie ended up being a good (not great) coach, but when he was hired his resume wasn't the most exciting out of the group and he certainly wasn't the top candidate of the cycle.  Bears have done this once in my life - when they landed Wanny. He was okay - but obviously had a very long and successful career. But he was the top assistant in Dallas with a huge resume and Bears landed him.  Johnson is similar to that - hopefully he ends up with a way more successful tenure than Wanny.  

[BearFan PHX]

34 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

I like the energy! 

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EZXmTsPPF/

good to see. I've been vocal here (can you be vocal typing??) about wondering where his personal energy was at, but the more i read about him cussing people out on the sidelines, the less I am concerned about that aspect.

I think there is a very good chance that this is the guy who, along with Caleb Williams, will lead us to being a yearly contender, and SB victories.

Let's GO!

[Mongo3451]

7 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

good to see. I've been vocal here (can you be vocal typing??) about wondering where his personal energy was at, but the more i read about him cussing people out on the sidelines, the less I am concerned about that aspect.

I think there is a very good chance that this is the guy who, along with Caleb Williams, will lead us to being a yearly contender, and SB victories.

Let's GO!

Amen brother!

[DABEARSDABOMB]

He looked pretty natural and comfortable when he got introduced within Halas Hall.  We'll see more at his press conference - but my very very early impression was he looks calm in front of a mic - which is NOT what I would have ever said about Flus.  

[BearFan PHX]

13 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

He looked pretty natural and comfortable when he got introduced within Halas Hall.  We'll see more at his press conference - but my very very early impression was he looks calm in front of a mic - which is NOT what I would have ever said about Flus.  

Flus was a disaster as a leader. He was physically insecure.

I didnt see the fire in Johnson's press conferences per se - he didnt seem insecure at all, but he felt corporate to me. But now Im hearing about how demanding he is and how he cusses people out on the sideline, and I am starting to think he does have what i worried about.

Does anyone know - was he on the sidelines as OC? If so that's a very good sign that moving to the sidelines isn't going to hamper his playcalling!

[Mongo3451]

9 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

Does anyone know - was he on the sidelines as OC? If so that's a very good sign that moving to the sidelines isn't going to hamper his playcalling!

Yes, called plays from the sideline.  He's very energetic and demonstrative out there.

[BearFan PHX]

4 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

Yes, called plays from the sideline.  He's very energetic and demonstrative out there.

That's what I thought - good news!

Also to our other thread about Daniels - I've been happy here to say I was wrong about my worries about Johnson as new info has come in!

[DABEARSDABOMB]

27 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

Flus was a disaster as a leader. He was physically insecure.

I didnt see the fire in Johnson's press conferences per se - he didnt seem insecure at all, but he felt corporate to me. But now Im hearing about how demanding he is and how he cusses people out on the sideline, and I am starting to think he does have what i worried about.

Does anyone know - was he on the sidelines as OC? If so that's a very good sign that moving to the sidelines isn't going to hamper his playcalling!

Yes - on sidelines. The way I see it - he looks like a guy who his comfortable in his own skin.  Which I think leads to him likely being authentic.  Doesn't make him a great or bad HC or anything like that - hence why I said my overreaction.  

[DABEARSDABOMB]

19 minutes ago, BearFan PHX said:

That's what I thought - good news!

Also to our other thread about Daniels - I've been happy here to say I was wrong about my worries about Johnson as new info has come in!

And for the record - I hope you are right and Caleb ends up 10x better than Daniels. I'll be clear - I wouldn't do anything different at this point - I think knowing what Bears knew at the time they made the right move.  

[Mongo3451]

5 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

Yes - on sidelines. The way I see it - he looks like a guy who his comfortable in his own skin.  Which I think leads to him likely being authentic.  Doesn't make him a great or bad HC or anything like that - hence why I said my overreaction.  

Authentic is the key.  Players quickly disrespect leaders who are not genuine.  Flus was genuinely nice, but failed to backup the foundation of his HITS principle.

[BearFan PHX]

8 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

And for the record - I hope you are right and Caleb ends up 10x better than Daniels. I'll be clear - I wouldn't do anything different at this point - I think knowing what Bears knew at the time they made the right move.  

Oh for sure, time will tell. Right now the Commanders are kicking our ass. No doubt about that!

I also think the Commanders would have taken Caleb if they had the #1 pick as well.

But the future needs to be won, there are no guarantees, and until Caleb does it, he hasnt done it, thats for sure.

Hopefully Johnson shows us what is possible.

[BearFan PHX]

9 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

Authentic is the key.  Players quickly disrespect leaders who are not genuine.  Flus was genuinely nice, but failed to backup the foundation of his HITS principle.

for sure - he was soooo corny, and he didnt hold anyone accountable.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

Oh for sure, time will tell. Right now the Commanders are kicking our ass. No doubt about that!

I also think the Commanders would have taken Caleb if they had the #1 pick as well.

But the future needs to be won, there are no guarantees, and until Caleb does it, he hasnt done it, thats for sure.

Hopefully Johnson shows us what is possible.

Caleb being thrown into the deep end, minimizing turnovers, playing an entire season, etc - is huge.  I also think he has more he needs to do inside the building to elevate his game and a ton to work on following this season. I imagine this entire year was a big eye opener to him and I actually kind of think he probably thought it would be easier than it was.  His comments about being coached hard, etc - hopefully he kind of had that "rude awakening" for a lack of a better term and can lean in and just triple down on his work ethic, film study, etc.  I will caveat the way he handled the media and how he owned every struggle etc was pretty impressive.  

I think Johnson is going to roll-up his sleeves and own it with him and I also think that should excite Caleb. I am curious to see if they bring in a veteran quarterback to help him from a film study perspective.  I would make a run at Teddy Bridgewater and carry him on the roster if he was interested (knows the system - very savy - but also isn't going to steal any thunder and Bagent can still be the longer term #2).  I think Caleb can benefit from having a pro who has done this before.  

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

Caleb being thrown into the deep end, minimizing turnovers, playing an entire season, etc - is huge.  I also think he has more he needs to do inside the building to elevate his game and a ton to work on following this season. I imagine this entire year was a big eye opener to him and I actually kind of think he probably thought it would be easier than it was.  His comments about being coached hard, etc - hopefully he kind of had that "rude awakening" for a lack of a better term and can lean in and just triple down on his work ethic, film study, etc.  I will caveat the way he handled the media and how he owned every struggle etc was pretty impressive.  

I think Johnson is going to roll-up his sleeves and own it with him and I also think that should excite Caleb. I am curious to see if they bring in a veteran quarterback to help him from a film study perspective.  I would make a run at Teddy Bridgewater and carry him on the roster if he was interested (knows the system - very savy - but also isn't going to steal any thunder and Bagent can still be the longer term #2).  I think Caleb can benefit from having a pro who has done this before.  

I think this is all very well said. I agree with everything you said about Caleb.

I'd add this too - the playoffs showed how interceptions can send you home. That Caleb threw so few of them, even though he was also maybe over careful with the ball, says a lot of good going into the future.

I also think that he was seeing perfect textbook zones in practice, and that in games the defense was looking more chaotic. With a new DC, and hopefully that is Allen, Caleb will see a lot more dirty looks in practice and that's gonna help too.

But more than anything, a real OL, a run game and Johnson's guidance should elevate him far beyond what we've seen this past season. It's a good time to be a Bears fan.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

1 hour ago, BearFan PHX said:

I think this is all very well said. I agree with everything you said about Caleb.

I'd add this too - the playoffs showed how interceptions can send you home. That Caleb threw so few of them, even though he was also maybe over careful with the ball, says a lot of good going into the future.

I also think that he was seeing perfect textbook zones in practice, and that in games the defense was looking more chaotic. With a new DC, and hopefully that is Allen, Caleb will see a lot more dirty looks in practice and that's gonna help too.

But more than anything, a real OL, a run game and Johnson's guidance should elevate him far beyond what we've seen this past season. It's a good time to be a Bears fan.

The last part is huge - it is going to be really key, once Johnson puts his staff together - the staff and Poles have to work real hard on figuring out what to do on the oline and to a lesser extent obviously the Dline and how to generate some pass rush. But priority #1 through #5 has to be that oline (and Caleb).  Having multiple picks could make things interesting. I think they will have to fix the oline via a number of fronts, better coaching and schemes, internal development, free agency, trade, and the draft. For example - lets say a quality guard is on the market or in holdout - do you move one of the 2nd round picks to get a good guard and a 3rd rounder (so essentially you move down 1 round but pick up a good guard - has to be a team straddled for cap space).  Do you sign the FA center for the Lions and than pair him with a developmental pick at center (this is a no brainer for me).  

But what does the new oline coach think of at the LT spot - between the 2 internal candidates and who is available in the draft?  I don't know - there isn't a home run pick given where Bears are sitting and its a position that you don't tend to fill in lower rounds.  So is this an area where my example trade above is for a LT who hits the market (doesn't happen often so has to be more of a disgruntled player type of a deal).  Some of it probably also involves a bit of luck (in terms of right player being there).  In my mind - my focus would be make the interior stronger - so upgrade center and guard (if you can land the KC guard by overpaying - its probably worth it presuming he's a fit).  It gives Caleb strength in the interior - makes Wright better at RT and maybe you roll the dice at LT knowing you solved other parts (while investing a FRP in Dline if you grade that higher).  

Could also move down in 1st round to create a bit more ammo to draft a tackle/guard high, sign a free agent center (Lions center), sign the Chiefs guard, bring back Pryor as a swing/depth for the rookie, and see if you can maximize Jones/Kiran through coaching for one more year with Wright on the right side and Bates also I guess a depth piece (if he's even able to get healthy). 

The way I see it - say you don't think there is a standout LT / DE / Blue Chipper at 10 (considering positional need as well), so Bears move down from 10 to 20 to another team who sees a blue chipper at a position of need.  That means Bears move back 10 spots - but pick up a 2nd rounder (if I follow Jimmy Johnson's chart). I'm being simple here - I think technically speaking if I follow Jimmy's draft value chart - if Bears moved back 10 spots and that same team had a similar 2nd rounder - it would be #10, for #20, #52 (2nd Rounder), and #121 (4th rounder). 

But Bears could parlay the 10 spot move back to take a guard who better fits the profile and than with 2nd & 4th round pick, either double down and take another guard/center prospect with those picks and/or take the guard and center prospect with your FRP and 4th round pick and than grab a skill position player for Caleb in round 2.  Remember Bears would still have the Panthers pick and their own 2nd rounder as well.  

[AZ54]

I commented on the wrong radio show...but here's the link.  

 

 

[Stinger226]

6 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

I like the energy! 

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EZXmTsPPF/

To walk into a new building and command the attention, taking control, is a great sign of leadership .

[AZ54]

We were worried about the new guys leadership?  He just walked into Halas Hall and owned it.  

 

[BearFan PHX]

50 minutes ago, DABEARSDABOMB said:

The last part is huge - it is going to be really key, once Johnson puts his staff together - the staff and Poles have to work real hard on figuring out what to do on the oline and to a lesser extent obviously the Dline and how to generate some pass rush. But priority #1 through #5 has to be that oline (and Caleb).  Having multiple picks could make things interesting. I think they will have to fix the oline via a number of fronts, better coaching and schemes, internal development, free agency, trade, and the draft. For example - lets say a quality guard is on the market or in holdout - do you move one of the 2nd round picks to get a good guard and a 3rd rounder (so essentially you move down 1 round but pick up a good guard - has to be a team straddled for cap space).  Do you sign the FA center for the Lions and than pair him with a developmental pick at center (this is a no brainer for me).  

But what does the new oline coach think of at the LT spot - between the 2 internal candidates and who is available in the draft?  I don't know - there isn't a home run pick given where Bears are sitting and its a position that you don't tend to fill in lower rounds.  So is this an area where my example trade above is for a LT who hits the market (doesn't happen often so has to be more of a disgruntled player type of a deal).  Some of it probably also involves a bit of luck (in terms of right player being there).  In my mind - my focus would be make the interior stronger - so upgrade center and guard (if you can land the KC guard by overpaying - its probably worth it presuming he's a fit).  It gives Caleb strength in the interior - makes Wright better at RT and maybe you roll the dice at LT knowing you solved other parts (while investing a FRP in Dline if you grade that higher).  

Could also move down in 1st round to create a bit more ammo to draft a tackle/guard high, sign a free agent center (Lions center), sign the Chiefs guard, bring back Pryor as a swing/depth for the rookie, and see if you can maximize Jones/Kiran through coaching for one more year with Wright on the right side and Bates also I guess a depth piece (if he's even able to get healthy). 

The way I see it - say you don't think there is a standout LT / DE / Blue Chipper at 10 (considering positional need as well), so Bears move down from 10 to 20 to another team who sees a blue chipper at a position of need.  That means Bears move back 10 spots - but pick up a 2nd rounder (if I follow Jimmy Johnson's chart). I'm being simple here - I think technically speaking if I follow Jimmy's draft value chart - if Bears moved back 10 spots and that same team had a similar 2nd rounder - it would be #10, for #20, #52 (2nd Rounder), and #121 (4th rounder). 

But Bears could parlay the 10 spot move back to take a guard who better fits the profile and than with 2nd & 4th round pick, either double down and take another guard/center prospect with those picks and/or take the guard and center prospect with your FRP and 4th round pick and than grab a skill position player for Caleb in round 2.  Remember Bears would still have the Panthers pick and their own 2nd rounder as well.  

This is all well said.

I do think that Johnson, and if he brings the OL coach from the Lions to be the OC here, will be able to help Poles identify the right talent. That's in the draft, in free agency, and as much as it scares me, from our current roster. Lots of OL players that have sucked for us have gone on to become good players on other teams. Maybe someone we have will be identified and developed.

One thought, and Im not saying this is a good idea per se, but if Johnson does then it is (lol) might be to move Wright to LT. I dont want to debate that here, because I would be debating against it myself, Im just noting it as the kind of thing that incoming professionals might see. Or maybe Bill Murray is excellent. etc etc. From my standpoint, Wright is good at RT and the rest suck. But players Ive been happy to see go have gone on to be good elsewhere, so if the incoming guys identify someone we already have, then great. But either way they will help find players in free agency and the draft too.

Also, I would recommend using this draft value chart rather than the Jimmy Johnson one. It has been derived from all the trades that were accepted since the JJ chart came out, and better fits the actual league and what they do?

https://www.drafttek.com/NFL-Trade-Value-Chart-Rich-Hill.asp?RequestTeam=chi

 

[BearFan PHX]

25 minutes ago, AZ54 said:

We were worried about the new guys leadership?  He just walked into Halas Hall and owned it.  

 

he did, and my worries were more with his style of toughness, which I am happy to say, the more I hear and see, the more I am convinced arent going to be a problem.

No one can predict the future, but this sure does look like a home run.

[Mongo3451]

8 hours ago, Stinger226 said:

Not sure why everyone keeps saying we need an upgrade at TE2? The OC didn't scheme targets for Kmet let alone Everett. Everett problem was lack of targets. Now we need an upgrade of a blocking TE .

Not sure we need a TE 2 either.  What I would like is move TE.  Cole can be inline 1 and new guy can be move 1.  I'm still shitty we didn't get Bowers.  They are the new slot receivers.

[CrackerDog]

22 hours ago, AZ54 said:

I'm still out of sorts because I'm so used to being left alone at the altar. 

My team, Da Bears, went out and      

Wanny was the most sought out coach in that era and he was mediocre for four seasons and then sucked donkey balls for two more.  
 

I’m excited about Ben too, don’t get me wrong.  But the proof is in the pudding.  Let’s get him some beef on the lines and let’s see what he can do!!!