How Ben Johnson adopted his viral 'Good, Better, Best' mantra that's led the Chicago Bears

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The Chicago Bears have stoked a competitive fire.

In a four-game winning streak, the Bears have found different ways to win each time. 

Every win had ended the same, though.

Head coach Ben Johnson's locker room celebrations include handing out a game ball to some of the players of the game. It also includes his mantra: "Good, Better, Best." Johnson, with more energy than most humans have in a week, ends each victory celebration the same:

"Good, better best,

Never let it rest,

'Til your good gets better,

and your better gets best,

Bears on three!" 

That mantra has since gone viral. Johnson explained the inception of what's become a Bears staple on Friday.

What they're saying:

Back even before he was a high school quarterback for A.C. Reynolds High School, Johnson was captivated by that simple mantra.

His dad was an assistant coach at A.C. Reynolds. That's when Johnson first got into the locker room to see what it's like being a part of a successful football team. He carried that with him as a high school quarterback.

"It's just a fond memory of mine growing up post-game in that locker room – shoot, even before I was wearing that uniform – because my dad was an assistant coach on that team before he got into high school administration," Johnson said.

When Johnson was a player, he led A.C. Reynolds to a 4-A state championship. As a senior, he was named the conference player of the year before moving on to back up T.J. Yates at North Carolina.

During those moments of success, that mantra is what resonated with Johnson.

"I remember being in that locker room and that was just the rallying cry at that time," Johnson said.

"Good, Better, Best" wasn't just the mantra for Johnson when he was a winning quarterback. It was the soul of a program that was synonymous with success. 

"We were a darn good high school team for probably about 25 or 30 years there," Johnson said.  "It wasn't whether we were going to go to the playoffs. It was how far are we going to make it in the playoffs?"

What's next:

The Bears are no stranger to coach motivations.

Matt Nagy opened "Club Dub" when the Bears would win games, even on the road. The Bears would turn their locker room into a dance party celebration. That didn't last, however.

So far, "Good, Better, Best" has caught on in Chicago. It's spread to youth sports, where a youth soccer team said the same mantra, too. 

Part of that sensation comes with the four-game winning streak the Bears have earned. The Bears have won games, and Johnson has found motivation in the fact the Bears are far from perfect. 

"That's what's encouraging to me as a coach is when it's ugly, we're still finding a way to win, we're developing that belief," Johnson said on Oct. 14. "At the same time, holy cow, how far can we push this thing? Let's see how good we can really get this season. There's a long way that we can still go, I think they see that and they feel that. I'm really encouraged by it. It wakes me up in the morning, gets me going." 

That has resonated with the players, along with the mantra.

"I see a sense of leadership and a confidence in him, honestly that exudes into all of us," Bears safety Kevin Byard said on Sept. 10. "I think that's his best quality when it comes to that sense or in a head coaching sense. That confidence and that demand of excellence from everybody in the building and from himself. So, he holds everybody to that standard and holds himself to that standard on a consistent basis. I think he's been doing a great job at it."

That consistent belief across the board is what Johnson has instilled in the Bears. It's manifested into a winning streak. It all comes back to a mantra Johnson has held close to his heart since before he became one of the best offensive minds in the NFL.

"I think there's something to be said when a group of men – they're all believing the same thing," Johnson said Friday. "They're saying the same thing. It's one heartbeat, one voice. I think our guys have enjoyed it."