The last thing Chicago Bears players or fans want to do is say something even remotely nice about the Green Bay Packers. That isn't in their DNA. It doesn't happen.
And, similarly, the same goes for the other side. But, on this day, one former Packers All-Pro and NFL Hall of Famer went on the air to offer some advice to Bears head coach Ben Johnson. After the Bears came back and beat Green Bay on Saturday night, one thing remained pretty clear: Johnson gets too cute at times.
"Just a little bit of advice for Ben Johnson ... I feel bad for giving a Bear some advice, but, sometimes he gets in these situations ... He's such a good coach. He has so many great plays, that I think sometimes he out-thinks or outsmarts himself," Woodson said courtesy of Fox Sports.
This is certainly one thing we can agree with Woodson on. Johnson does get too cute, and it showed on the Bears' first offensive possession Saturday night.
Charles Woodson had the same reaction to Ben Johnson's 4th down call as Bears fans everywhere
Woodson went on to say exactly what we were all thinking.
"That 4th-and-1 on the goal line. You run the tight end in there and then you going to hike it between his ... like, just run the ball! You have two great backs."
That says it all. Frankly, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't end up mattering because the Bears won the game. But they were running it well on that first drive. They had averaged nearly 6.0 yards per carry on their first possession. It wouldn't have been surprising to see them pick up the one yard needed, there on fourth down, with a simple handoff.
"Let's show that we're tough. We can run the football ... sometimes, just keep it simple for Ben Johnson," Woodson ended.
As bright as Johnson is, and as fun as he is to watch in terms of his creativity on offense, there are definitely times when simplicity is called for. Sometimes, it's much safer and wiser to go with the easy call.
Kyle Monangai had already shown he was the most physical presence on the field, that drive, so why not hand it to him and ask him for a single yard?
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Woodson absolutely nailed it. Johnson over-thinks a lot of short-yardage decisions, and he has been doing it not only this season, but dating back to his time with Detroit. This has to change. Johnson has to get better before the postseason begins.