Everyone knows by now how great a head coach the Chicago Bears' Ben Johnson is becoming after an 11-6 season with the team last year, but his journey to this point is something to admire as well.
Johnson joined the NFL in 2012, having spent seven years as an offensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins before joining the Detroit Lions for another six years. While appearing on the Fourth and Bonilla podcast, former Dolphins wide receiver Leonte Carroo shared a story about Johnson while he worked with the receivers.
“I remember he came into the receiver room one day and he ripped Jarvis (Landry) in front of the whole WR core. He’s like, ‘I want to be at your Hall of Fame speech one day. That’s my message to you because I know where I’m going, then points at himself and goes, ‘I know I’m going to be in a gold jacket one day as a coach…I know that about me…' then he would leave the facility at 1 AM and be back at five.”
Ben Johnson's desire to win is second to none
That drive has always been there for Johnson to be the best coach in the league and to lead his players the right way. Bears fans saw it firsthand in his tough coaching and the enthusiasm he shows on the football field, week in and week out.
It's a big reason that the culture in Chicago has completely changed under Johnson as head coach. The Bears used to be the team that just accepted losing as part of their lives over the last five years, but their head coach will make sure that doesn't happen on his watch.
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One year can't determine whether a coach will be a Hall of Famer, but Johnson is certainly on the right path to getting there, given how he is running things in Chicago. He's got the right mindset to get there someday.
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