Oh, what fun it has been to be a Chicago Bears fan this week.
There's no season like the offseason, right?
Usually, this has been true more often than not for Bears fans. After all, the offseason is where the fan base is filled with the most hope. Then, it typically comes crashing back down to earth once the season is in full swing.
But, it is a new era in Chicago. Ben Johnson is now the head coach of the Bears and has brought more of that familiar offseason feeling known as hope. Only this time, it feels different.
Yes, you have heard that before -- plenty of times. But just roll with it, alright?
If you're a Lions fan, this has been a tough week. Not only did you lose Ben Johnson as your offensive coordinator, but to a division rival, nonetheless. That's rough. That's borderline Brett-Favre-to-the-Vikings, right there.
More Ben Johnson news:
Not to mention, Detroit also lost defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as he left to coach the New York Jets.
Back to Johnson, though. In his recent column, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer peeled back the curtain a little bit in this Johnson saga. There were reports, long ago, that Johnson was interested in the Chicago job last year.
But, Breer spun this in an even more significant and almost concrete way.
Ben Johnson would have taken the Bears head coaching job if it was offered to him in 2024
"I believe if the Bears’ job had opened a year ago, there’s a good chance we’d have gotten the same result. It was the one Johnson liked then, and Chicago was about to draft a quarterback," Breer wrote.
There it is. For all the Lions fans whining and complaining over the past couple of days, turning their backs on Johnson, calling him a "traitor" among other things, this right here has to hurt the most.
If Johnson was given the opportunity, he would have left Detroit for Chicago last offseason. It was and has always been the Bears, for Johnson.
Maybe, the 2024 season was truly as good as it was going to get for the Lions.
We'll find out in about nine months or so, but the Lions' best days might just be behind them if Johnson and Glenn were really that good (and let's hope they were/are).
Now, that's not to take anything away from Dan Campbell because, after all, it was Campbell that assembled that staff. And, to be frank, Campbell is one heck of a coach. You've got to give the man his credit. He's one of the best.
But, it is going to be very interesting to see how the Lions respond in a few months after reassembling their staff and moving forward without Johnson, specifically.