After the Chicago Bears initially hired Ben Johnson to be their head coach last offseason, the following few months were full of moments that fans were immediately drawn to.
It all started out with his initial press conference, which was a true breath of fresh air. He sounded different than previous head coaches. He was specific and detail-oriented, and he preached accountability. It's what this franchise has been craving for years.
And, in short: Johnson delivered right away.
In a recent interview from Sirius XM Radio, general manager Ryan Poles talked about Johnson's first year as a head coach:
"He set the tone early, communicated early what the expectations were. And Caleb was all-in for it ... it's one thing to say it, but then when we got on the practice field, you could see that come alive. If it wasn't done the right way, we were going to do it again."
Ben Johnson's practice habits showed up throughout the Bears' first season under his leadership
We all remember those practices. Fans read and heard plenty from beat reporters about Caleb Williams and the offense getting completely reamed out by their first-year head coach for not doing something correctly.
In fact, at times, the entire first team was pulled off the field because they weren't doing their jobs correctly. Johnson sent messages early and often, and they paid off.
Fast forward to the season, and these Bears still had plenty of errors, especially early on. Except, one thing was clear: they bounced back from those errors and self-inflicted wounds. The way this team showed so much resilience is directly correlated with how Johnson led every practice.
Sure, he preached accountability and doing things the right way. But, he also preached resilience. If something wasn't done correctly, this team knew right away that they couldn't go back and correct the mistake. But, they knew that when they had another chance to do it right, they'd go back out there and make it happen.
And sometimes ... it took several tries. We saw many examples of this offense, especially failing to do its part. Over and over again, self-inflicted wounds or failed conversions hurt them. Yet, just like they did in practice when something wasn't right, they'd go back and do it again. Johnson would not allow his players to accept mediocrity.
At least, he wouldn't allow them to accept a mediocre effort. That was plain to see.
Johnson delivered on his promise to hold players accountable and to set expectations for his football team. Not many coaches can come in and preach those things and deliver on them in Year 1.
Read more: Ryan Poles reveals Ben Johnson's plan to fix Caleb Williams' most-criticized flaw
11 wins, a handful of Pro Bowlers, a playoff win over the Green Bay Packers and some individuals up for NFL honors later, and ...
Johnson did it.