We are in the offseason, but we are definitely in that part of the offseason where division rivalry can be taken up a notch. In the Chicago Bears' schedule release video, they did take some subtle shots at rivals like the Green Bay Packers.
In that same spirit, one NFL radio voice and longtime veteran of the sports media industry went on the air to talk about these Bears and their head coach, Ben Johnson. When speaking about Johnson and his antics after the one particular win over the Packers last year, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio had this to say:
"I think Ben Johnson understands it. There is an element of WWE that goes into the marketing of professional football. And, if Ben Johnson is going to lean fully into the Packers rivalry, then let's take it to the next level.
"True fans of one team hate everybody else. And, if Ben Johnson adopts that thought, where it's not just 'screw the Packers,' it's 'screw everyone except the Bears,' that is so different than one coaches do because coaches, at some point, begin looking for other jobs."
Mike Florio calls for Ben Johnson to make enemies with the rest of the NFL
Let's be real, here, for a second. At the beginning, Florio had my attention and buy-in. But, as he went on, he got a little hyperbolic. I'm not so sure Bears fans would love the "everyone against the Bears" mantra, but you never know.
That seems to be a common theme in sports talk, regarding the Bears, lately. A lot of folks are spinning the idea that the Bears have a huge target on their backs after what Johnson pulled in the Bears' locker room last season.
Hey, that's a hard moment to forget. I don't think Johnson's "F*** the Packers" moment will ever be forgotten. How could it?!
Florio did back up the claim he made with one more statement, though, stating Johnson may keep his job in Chicago "until he's ready to retire."
So, if that's the case, then I suppose Johnson can make enemies across the rest of the league if he really wanted to. However, if he did so, he'd better make sure the Bears are Super Bowl winners.
That's where I'll stop Florio, here. The caveat to all of this is that the Bears go on and win Super Bowls. Otherwise, Johnson looks like a fool if he simply takes his attitude and swagger to a WWE-like level.
No Bears fan wants to watch their coach make a fool of himself, and Johnson is way too smart to do that.
All of that to say, Florio's words were certainly made for radio. That was peak "shock jock," if you will.
Read more: Bears radio host tosses out a 'villain' theory that makes perfect sense
Right now, Bears fans are likely very happy to watch Johnson stick it to the Packers with every opportunity he can get. As far as the rest of the league goes, maybe Johnson should wait a bit before ruffling feathers outside of the upper Midwest.
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