WEBVTT - Ben Johnson on building a sustained winner | Bears Weekly 0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:05.240 Welcome in toub Bears Weekly powered by IGS Energy by 0:00:05.320 --> 0:00:09.119 Chicago Bears Network Production. Bears Weekly is brought to you 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:13.800 by Advocate Healthcare, Athletic Goo Physical Therapy, C D. Jolligan, 0:00:14.160 --> 0:00:19.479 Connie's Pizza, IGS Energy, and Mellerland. Here are your hosts, 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.759 Jeff Chiliack Kka, the Mayor of Bearsville, and his sidekick 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:25.960 Tom the Surfmaster Thayer. 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:27.720 Well. 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:31.600 A new chapter in Bears football now includes one of 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:34.320 the premier coaches in the National Football League, the thirty 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:37.519 eight year old Ben Johnson, leaving Detroit for Chicago, and 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:41.199 his introduction yesterday at Habisau created what best can be 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:46.840 described as a significant buzz throughout Bears Nation, fans, players, 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:49.560 everyone in the building at Habisaw and excitement rained supreme. 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:53.120 I'm Jeff Joniyak top Thayer alongside the former Chicago Bear 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:55.440 and Super Bowl winning Bears guard and former Bears quarterback 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:57.440 Jim Miller from Serious X that movie that Chains with 0:00:57.520 --> 0:00:59.800 us as well in the ESPN studio spin in the 0:00:59.840 --> 0:01:02.120 day House tonight is Kendrick Smith. Thanks to Dan Brilliant, 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:04.840 Jordan Treadip for the Bears and the executive producer of 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:07.600 the Bears radio network is Eric Ostrotski. 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:10.120 Good Evening one and all Good Evening Top. There. I 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:12.960 bathing in the the. 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:16.560 Sunshine of a Ben Johnson hire right now, because everybody is. 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:17.840 There's a couple of things. 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:18.039 You know. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:20.720 Ben Johnson has been the most talked about head coaching 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:24.479 candidate over the last two years, and so to see 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:28.479 the Bears set their sights on Ben Johnson, get him 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:30.800 in on the zoom interview, bring him into the building, 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.080 and get him signed to a contract, it's exciting. It's 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:36.640 excitement in the building. You could hear it with the 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:40.080 questions asked and answered. But I'm a man of the people, 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:42.840 and so when I'm out at the grocery store. 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:46.399 Today, I had to allow my time extra time in. 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:50.200 The building because I was stopped in every one of 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:54.480 the areas of the bakery, of the butcher, and in 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:58.120 the vegetable department talking to all the guys about the 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:01.640 new hiring. And it's some sincere about that these guys 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:05.560 were as excited about the hiring of Ben Johnson on 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:08.960 the outskirts of Hallas Hall as there was that you 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:10.239 saw in Hallis Hall. 0:02:10.440 --> 0:02:13.200 Oh yeah, I'm particularly interested in the butcher because he's 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:15.239 been he's been on fire off season long. 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:19.000 What's his name? By the way, do you know I don't. 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:22.160 We gotta get him on the podcast. 0:02:22.560 --> 0:02:24.080 I know me Gene. 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:27.760 I know he's in the vegetables, But my butcher is 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.240 a guy that I have to allow him the most 0:02:30.240 --> 0:02:33.440 time and when I'm going through the grocery store. 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:35.400 But it was exciting to talk about. 0:02:35.760 --> 0:02:39.679 You could feel their excitement and like I said, from 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:42.720 all the coaching candidates to in hallis hall to now 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:43.560 it's reality. 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:45.360 Let's let's go, let's go. 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:47.840 Well, we're gonna hear from Ben Johnson from an interview 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:50.320 I did with him for the Bears platforms. We'll also 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:52.520 hear from Caleb Williams Todite, and we'll also hear from 0:02:52.560 --> 0:02:55.600 Kevin Warren from his interviews with the media yesterday. Jim 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.800 Miller also joining us, and he interviewed along with his 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:02.000 crew at Serious Except NFL Radio. He interviewed the new 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:04.000 head coach of the Bears, Ben Johnson, and there's a 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:06.560 commonality between you two, Jim, good evening. How you doing, 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:09.160 And that would be John Shuope, your coach with the 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:12.120 Bears in all one through three, because they are very tight. 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:15.560 Those two gentlemen living on the same block in Ashville 0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:19.760 with I believe his mom and dad coach along with 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:21.520 coach shupeh was not coaching in Europe. 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:25.680 Yeah, and yeah, John Shup and his wife, Mom Marshall, 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:28.280 were there. She became an ordained minister. But they started 0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:32.280 out at North Carolina together. That's where really Ben Johnson 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:34.520 crossed paths with Shoop and he was struck. 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:36.119 Shop was very detailed. 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:38.400 I brought that up, and I actually asked Ben Johnson 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:40.200 a question about that. I said, you had to love 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:43.680 the detail of John Shop because one thing I really 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:48.880 appreciated about shop was past protections pass protection conscious. Every 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:51.280 week he would go in on his off day, he'd 0:03:51.280 --> 0:03:53.800 write up all the protections, here's how we're treating it 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:55.640 this week. And I'd go in there and I'd get 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:57.680 a carbon copy of it, and then you, of course 0:03:57.720 --> 0:04:00.360 go out to your your blitz pickups and all that, 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.040 and it always went seamless and smoothless. And it was 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:05.720 the detail and the preparation of John Shoop and that 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:08.080 is carried over definitely to Ben Johnson. 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.680 What's the reaction league wide? And had you interviewed him before? 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:14.160 Yeah, I have, I've had conversation when we go on 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:16.360 training camp tour, much like when I visited the Bears. 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:19.960 I ran into Ben Johnson at Lions training camp this 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:22.000 a couple of years ago, and he came up. We 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:25.559 had a nice conversation about our commonality with John Shoop, 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:29.600 and you know just where he wanted his career to go. 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:32.480 And so I think he congratulate the Chicago Bears. I 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:36.120 got the top coordinator out there. I think a lot 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:39.000 of people are pretty excited about Joe Bate Brady too 0:04:39.040 --> 0:04:42.159 over there in Buffalo. But I think really Ben Johnson 0:04:42.160 --> 0:04:44.839 blew everybody away. And I do like his statement about 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:47.240 I want to take the hard path. I don't want 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:49.680 an easy path about staying in the division of the 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:50.480 NFC North. 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:52.520 Yeah, I mean that's one of the first things that 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:54.680 came out of his mouth. Sitting down with me as 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:58.240 well as with the media yesterday. You could tell he's 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:02.600 a fiery competitor and everybody. There's all sorts of adjectives 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:06.320 that you in your canvassing of people around the league 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:09.520 that have either coached with him or against him, or 0:05:09.560 --> 0:05:11.560 people who know him, and they're all coming back with 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:14.560 a similar uh tapestry. 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:16.640 So to speak about what he is. 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:20.799 And and that is no nonsense, very very detailed focused. 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.839 Obviously, he's got. 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:28.479 A very very very good football mind for the ex's 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:31.440 and o's part of it, but he also Tom and Jim. 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:35.039 He's got a fiery temperament on game day that allows 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:38.400 him to uh to be to take some chances and 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:41.200 and and and put things out there that maybe other 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.320 coordinators not. And I should also mention today named Assistant 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:47.080 Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:49.760 Tommy, that's nice to see, you know, because you think 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.960 about when they brought Jared golf along, there was kind 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:56.400 of an uncertainty about what how his career was going 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:59.640 to further after they make Detroit for Matthew Stafford, and 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.600 you see the numbers that he's able to put up. 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.360 You see the way that he got Jamaar Gibbs involved 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:07.520 in the running game, even though they already had David 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:10.839 Montgomery and all the wide receivers and tight ends that 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:14.600 he had a board. He got them all actively involved 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:17.760 in in each week's performance of that offense. And I 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:20.280 think when you look at the Bears and the offense 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.880 he's coming to, I think he's got a quarterback that 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:25.640 has more athleticism. I think he's got the big play 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.640 receivers in Roman duns A DJ, He's got the tight 0:06:28.720 --> 0:06:31.279 end and Cole Kamet, and he's got the running backs 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:34.279 and DeAndre Swift and Roa Seawan Johnson, and I know 0:06:34.320 --> 0:06:38.560 there's gonna be other pieces added here, including the offensive line. 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:42.240 But it's gonna be interesting to see how he constructs 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:46.320 the talent of the Bears after he constructed the talent 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:47.560 that he had in Detroit. 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:50.800 Jim second youngest head coach in the league right now 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:53.839 behind Mike McDonald oft. Believe it or not, you would 0:06:53.880 --> 0:06:56.919 think as long as Sean McVay has been in the league, 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:59.720 But Sean McVay is right there behind it. 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:01.760 He's now he's third in the list. 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:05.120 But Sean mcvace still a young thirty eight years old 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:08.520 as well, just a couple of months older than Ben Johnson. 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:10.720 How about that. I mean that's kind of crazy, isn't it. 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:13.920 Yeah, Well, I mean, you know, he's got the energy. 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:16.440 I know everybody's said, you know, we got guys out 0:07:16.440 --> 0:07:19.200 there like Pete Carroll or seventy three that have a 0:07:19.240 --> 0:07:21.320 ton of energy. But I think a lot of teams 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:25.160 want the young and upcoming coaches that have that energy 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:29.200 that you know, deal with the modern day player and 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:32.880 how these guys are being you know, really being developed 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:34.800 for what you want him to be, and that's to 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:37.720 have a winning organization. So you know, again, let's see 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:39.440 how it all comes together. It's going to take a 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:41.720 lot of hard work, but new direction, and it does 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:44.440 seem like an emphasis will be to get this offense right. 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:48.400 All right, let's applaud the process, okay, because there were 0:07:48.440 --> 0:07:55.480 some detractors of the idea of broad scope journey towards 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:57.960 trying to find the head coach. So a lot of interviews, 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:01.280 but that's information gathering within the framework of the rules 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:05.120 that are set forth by the NFL and how and 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:07.840 when to interview people that are involved in the playoffs 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:11.120 and such. I found nothing wrong with that. It didn't 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:14.320 signify to me a lack of focus. But when you 0:08:14.400 --> 0:08:18.040 hear after the fact, Tommy just how detailed Ryan Poles 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:21.080 and his staff and how ready they were, And I 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:25.600 think the term was used by Kevin Warren or George McCaskey, 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:27.760 one of the two I can't remember, which was just 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:31.360 be ready to pounce when we are ready to make 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:34.840 the decision on who we're going with, and they got 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:37.400 their number one guy, the guy that they felt was 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:41.520 going to help this team get going in the right direction. 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:45.839 And as as the head coach said yesterday, our goal is. 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:46.760 To win and win now. 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:50.040 So he's not shy about something that I don't want 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:52.120 him to be shy about that when you think of 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:55.240 the interviews from Pete Carroll to Eddie, George and everybody 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.800 in between, and then they were able to get, like 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:00.240 I said, the most coveted head coach in Canada over 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:02.080 the last two seasons. 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:02.840 In Ben Johnson. 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:06.760 I think he Ben Johnson had to be impressed by 0:09:06.800 --> 0:09:09.640 Ryan Poles as much as Ryan Poles had to be 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:12.959 impressed by Ben Johnson. And you like to have that 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:18.960 mutual relationship developed from the infancy stages because there is 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:22.280 an admiration of the preparedness of each of these guys. 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:26.480 And you know, Ryan probably learned something about his questioning 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:29.160 process through some of the other candidates that he went through, 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.440 or answers that maybe alerted him to something that he 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:35.800 should ask. And with Kevin Warren and George McCaskey and 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:39.360 Ryan Poles up there and the whole supporting interviewing staff. 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:42.680 They got their guy, I mean, and I think he 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:46.040 proved the point yesterday when he was at the podium 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:49.839 in his interview with you, that he didn't speak in cliches. 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:53.880 He gave answers that you wanted to, that you wanted 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:54.200 to hear. 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:57.400 That's from the heart. There's no script, right, he's speaking, 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:01.040 and I love that. I think the best community in 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:04.160 the world, whether it be at a church or a 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:07.760 public event or public speakers, you know that knowledge is 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:09.040 power and you speak from the heart. 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:09.480 Jim. 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:13.559 The other thing is, as George McCaskey indicated more than 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:16.600 once I ran into him at the Halsall prior to 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:19.960 the news conference earlier this week, he said he asked 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:21.840 for the job. I want the job, and he reminded him, 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:23.959 if I didn't tell you I want the job, I'm 0:10:24.000 --> 0:10:27.880 telling you again. And oftentimes I don't think people, you know, 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:29.760 when they interview it could be any walk, they don't 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:32.480 they don't finish by asking the job. Asking for the job, 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:34.439 you got to finish. He asked for the job right 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:37.800 out of the gate. So I I think that's a 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:39.280 really important part of this. 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:40.680 Oh. 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:43.400 I agree with that, Jeff, because everybody just thinks, oh, well, 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:45.840 here's your contract. We'd like you to be in the 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:49.080 next head coach. No, I want this job. Know that 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:51.960 you know it's it's equal to this as mutual. You 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:54.360 know that this is something that I want to challenge. 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:56.800 And I do think there's something to it, and we 0:10:57.280 --> 0:11:00.720 you know, I go back for previous players. There's something 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.360 to be said about building something when you turn it around. 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:05.680 I know we've talked about other players that have come 0:11:05.679 --> 0:11:08.240 to Chicago and that's why they committed. They were like, Hey, 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:11.120 this is a storied franchise. I want to be part 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:13.480 of building something. And I think that's part of Ben 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.160 Johnson too, with the rich history and tradition. 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:18.840 And I think and Tom can speak to this. Jim, 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:21.400 you can speak to this Tom more so because he 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:24.960 won that Lombardi Trophy with that eighty five Bears team. 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:29.160 You win here, it's not like any place else when 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:31.560 you win. We'll dive into that when we come back. 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:34.040 This is Bears Weekly on THEESBN one thousand and the 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:35.120 Bears Radio Network. 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:40.480 Welcome back to Bears Weekly on the Bears Radio Network. 0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:44.240 Here's your host, the Voice of the Bears, Jeff Joni. 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:51.640 This segment of Bears Weekly, brought to you by IGS Energy, 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:54.120 Jeff Joni Ac tomp There and Jim Miller, former Bears 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:57.920 quarterback from Serious x MNFL Radio, as we dig into 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:01.199 the hiring of Ben Johnson. Now for a staff is 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:04.280 underway up at hallis all. They'll be very active in 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:06.520 that for the rest of this week and possibly beyond 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:10.040 as they head towards what will be the scouting circuit 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:12.720 and the senior ball coming up here about a week 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:15.480 from now. So a lot to do and a lot 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:18.360 going on in the National Football League. Jim Miller interviewed, 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:19.920 as I mentioned in their first segment, if you're just 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:22.199 joined to ask, interviewed Ben Johnson today. What did you 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:24.720 guys get into. I only heard a portion of the interview, 0:12:24.720 --> 0:12:27.480 but anything stick out from the interview with Ben that 0:12:27.559 --> 0:12:28.520 Bears fans want to. 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:32.120 Hear, Yeah, just really you know, his start in offense, 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:34.840 what he believes in. Certainly, I know we talked about 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:37.719 the running game, and as Tom has mentioned, you look 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:40.480 at that offensive lineup there in Detroit pretty darn good. 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:43.760 So I think they're gonna, you know, trying to overhaul that. 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:46.640 That's the best way to help out a young quarterback, 0:12:46.800 --> 0:12:49.560 And I just think you know Trees. You know, he's 0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:51.800 been with Dan Campbell and that staff, which is a 0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:55.280 very good staff with the Detroit Lions, and typically you 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:58.680 know you're going to run into coaches maybe from that tree. 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:00.960 So like for Dan Campbell, I know people have talked 0:13:01.000 --> 0:13:04.240 about Dennis Allen and I'll be present. There's all these 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:07.280 names that are out there, and maybe all settle on 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:09.920 one that's comfortable because typically a lot of those coaches 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:12.640 that probably Dan Campbell has been with before have been 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:14.440 in that building quite a bit where he's had some 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:15.840 conversations with him. 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:16.520 Tom. 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:18.880 One of the great things that he is starting from 0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:20.920 scratch on the offense, this is going to be an 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.520 offense tailored around Caleb Williams. 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:25.240 Yeah. 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:28.040 You know, when we looked at the analytics of Detroit 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:31.000 offenses past year, we talked about the effectiveness of the 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.760 play action passing game with a guy like Jared Goff. 0:13:34.280 --> 0:13:36.920 But I think when you incorporate the athleticism of a 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:41.160 guy like Caleb Williams, is it more rpo play action 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:45.280 or is it more legitimate play action from behind center? 0:13:45.520 --> 0:13:48.320 And I'm interested to see how he sees the difference 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:53.120 in the talent of you know, the experience in the 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:56.280 history in the league with Jared Goff in the infancy 0:13:56.320 --> 0:14:01.040 stages of a quarterback like Caleb Williams. And because I 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:03.880 don't necessarily think that Ben Johnson is just going to 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:07.080 bring in and plug in his Detroit offense with the 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:10.440 players he has here, He's gonna get to the drawing board. 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:14.240 He's gonna work with his offensive coordinators, receivers, coach, his 0:14:14.320 --> 0:14:18.000 offensive line coach and start saying, Okay, what can we 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:21.480 incorporate that we've had success with in the past, What 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:24.960 did Caleb Williams do so well this year and the 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:27.680 reason that he was successful? And then how do we 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:31.560 turn that fourth quarter into the first quarter? And I 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:35.320 just think those are a couple of the growing portions 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:38.520 of this offense that we need to see the Bears 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:43.080 become a faster starting first quarter team rather than asking 0:14:43.160 --> 0:14:46.400 for superman heroics out of Caleb in the fourth quarter. 0:14:46.720 --> 0:14:48.440 Well, yesterday I had a chance to visit with Ben 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.080 Johnson before his news conference with the media, the introductory 0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:54.240 news conference as the eighteenth head coach nineteenth overall with 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:58.280 the interim tag for Ben for what we had last 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.760 season that was nineteen, but Ben Johnson with the sit Down, 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:03.440 A portion of the interview from our bears et Cent 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:05.920 podcast would drop today wherever you get your podcast. 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:10.000 Every step of my journey, whether it was quality control, position, coach, 0:15:10.640 --> 0:15:15.400 offensive coordinator, I morphed into a world that would make 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:18.280 me the best at that particular job, and every step 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.160 along the way tight ends coach. Oh see, the last 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:25.720 few years, it's whatever that job required. And so this 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:30.400 new job is a completely different skill set and responsibility, 0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:34.040 and so I will find exactly what it takes to 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:35.800 excel in this new role. 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:38.840 How excited are you to work with Ryan Poles, his staff, 0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.160 Kevin Warren, mccaskey's everybody. 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:44.080 In the Bild Listen. They blew me away on the interview. 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:48.800 I spent time just alone with Ryan on that interview 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:50.840 and then in a group setting with all of them, 0:15:50.880 --> 0:15:54.400 and it's clear their commitment to build a sustained winner 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:58.440 here in Chicago. I think Ryan's done a phenomenal job 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:02.840 already accumulating town here in this building. And I can't 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:06.160 be more excited about George and Kevin and the support 0:16:06.200 --> 0:16:08.160 that they're willing to give us and the resources they're 0:16:08.160 --> 0:16:09.840 willing to give us to get this thing going. 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:12.760 The familiarity you touched on it within the division? 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:14.400 Is that a positive? 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:19.120 Because you faced everybody before for the last many years. 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:23.360 There's no doubt, And once again I have tremendous amounts 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:27.000 of respect for all the coaches and players already in 0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:32.040 this division. But really, as a competitor, I didn't want 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:32.360 to leave. 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:35.640 As a young kid growing up Asheville, North Carolina, that's right. 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:37.480 Could you have imagined this day? 0:16:37.800 --> 0:16:38.280 No? 0:16:38.280 --> 0:16:42.880 No, absolutely not, absolutely not. Like like I said, I 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:47.760 grew up watching WGN Chicago Cubs with my little brother 0:16:48.000 --> 0:16:51.320 and to see that one day I would land in 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:53.960 that city as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, 0:16:53.960 --> 0:16:55.320 it just gives me goosebumps. 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:57.120 What's your message to the fans? 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:01.360 Message to the fans is, we are completely committed to 0:17:01.480 --> 0:17:04.400 building a sustained winner here. We are going to have 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:07.440 high standards, but we're also going to have high level 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:10.119 of support for these players. The bar is gonna be 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:13.840 every time they step into the building so high, because 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.159 that's the only way we're gonna push. We're gonna challenge 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:19.719 these players to become the best versions of themselves along 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:21.920 the way, though, we're going to provide them the necessary 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:23.439 resources to hit those goals. 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:26.080 Congratulations, thank you in best of luck, Yeah, thank you. 0:17:26.200 --> 0:17:29.400 Jeff Well, you know that that Cubs angle is significant 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:31.119 as it turns out, And if you have a chance, 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:33.960 check out Chicago Bears dot com. Read an article by 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:38.320 outstanding writer Gabby Hiduke. She penned a piece with Johnson 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:42.000 and his younger brother Avid Cub fans yes watching the 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:45.520 games in the nineties. So as the story goes, Tom 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:48.320 and Jim, the brother put his name on the waiting 0:17:48.320 --> 0:17:51.080 list for Cups tickets after you graduated high school in 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:54.520 two thousand and seven, and several years later, bam, he's 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:55.720 got four season tickets. 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:58.360 So he and the family yearly trip. 0:17:58.200 --> 0:18:01.320 To Chicago for a Cup series Throughout the past decade 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:05.800 or so, there's photos that you'll see of coach Johnson 0:18:05.840 --> 0:18:10.560 and his wife Jessica with Cub shirts on. I keep saying, guys, 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:15.119 it was meant to be, so Chicago stirred his soul. 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:17.760 And if you're sitting and I think oftentimes they were 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:20.479 sitting in the bleachers, so you get a true sense 0:18:20.600 --> 0:18:23.399 of what the Chicago sports fan, what I truly believe 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:25.679 is the great and not just saying it it's the 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:29.479 greatest sports city in America. The passion is unrivaled in 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:32.720 terms of it being organic and riding through the roller 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.200 coaster of emotions that this city can put you through 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:37.480 as a sports fan and they stick with you. 0:18:37.880 --> 0:18:39.240 It's unique. I love it. 0:18:39.280 --> 0:18:42.080 I mean, there are other great sports towns, but nothing 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:45.199 like this. And now he lands here and with the 0:18:45.440 --> 0:18:48.480 team in Chicago where everybody is a Bears fan. 0:18:48.560 --> 0:18:50.959 Well, you know that for Jim and Jeff and I 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:54.560 all of us, we've been blessed to go to different 0:18:54.600 --> 0:18:59.159 stadiums as players and broadcasters, and sometimes the anticipation of 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:02.200 being in the stadium is the walk to the stadium, 0:19:02.480 --> 0:19:04.800 and you get to see the energy that the fans 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:08.560 are showing on the streets, the leading up, waiting in 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:11.320 line to the stadiums and stuff. And you know, you 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.720 got to imagine him as a younger person waiting in 0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:18.400 line at Wrigley Field or walking through the streets of Chicago. 0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:21.160 And I think that's where you get a real understanding 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:25.720 of the passion of the sports fan of Chicago. 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:29.439 Was it that did he go to the opener? I 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:30.800 want to know that, Jeff, you can get a little 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:31.679 chilly in the opener. 0:19:33.040 --> 0:19:35.160 Well, tell you Jim right now, he won't be able 0:19:35.160 --> 0:19:39.000 to go there anonymously a more, not a chance. 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:42.760 I mean, it's a great story, Jimmy great story. 0:19:42.800 --> 0:19:43.440 It is. 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:46.879 And you know, I think when you're not from Chicago, 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:49.880 like me coming from Detroit and when the Bears sign 0:19:50.000 --> 0:19:53.359 me there is I think when you when you arrive 0:19:53.440 --> 0:19:56.720 there and you participate in iconic things like going to 0:19:56.760 --> 0:19:59.600 Kubby Stadium and all that, and you see all the 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:02.359 fan fair and I've said it all the time about 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:05.960