Column: Full of swagger, Ben Johnson is the right choice for the Chicago Bears. He knows it too.
CHICAGO - It wasn't until after Ben Johnson's introduction that I was officially sold on the Chicago Bears' newest hire.
We always put too much stock into "winning the press conference," which makes sense. Chicago sports fans will take any kind of win after the past two years in this town.
Johnson hit every note he was supposed to at his introduction. He cleared the scripted plays. But, he really caught my attention when he met with reporters later.
The guy has an unapologetic swagger. He doesn't exude it, but Johnson makes sure you know he carries confidence in him. He doesn't need clichés to get his point across, nor does he want anything that he didn't earn.
He's the right guy for the Chicago Bears. What's better is that he knows it, too.
"I was the best in every role, as far as I’m concerned," Johnson said. "That’s how I view it, point-blank. I didn’t take any shortcuts."
Shortcuts were certainly not a part of Johnson's journey. He started at one of the most common entry-level coaching jobs when he was a graduate assistant at Boston College in 2009. By 2012, he was in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.
He spent six seasons in Miami, working his way up from offensive assistant to wide receivers coach, before then-head coach Adam Gase was fired. That put Johnson on the street, too.
Johnson and his wife Jessica just had their second child and he was getting paid not to work. Johnson was still struggling after all his work in Miami had been erased.
"Truthfully, I was in my darkest moment because something that I loved got ripped away from me," Johnson said. "I invested all this time and effort over seven years, three more up in Boston College, and when something like that gets ripped away from you, it makes you search deep in your soul."
LAKE FOREST, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 22: Newly named head coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears speaks to the media during a introductory press conference at PNC Center at Halas Hall on January 22, 2025 in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/
He wanted another chance to earn it. It came in Detroit where he took a demotion as an offensive quality control coach, but he was back in the NFL.
By 2021, he was the passing game coordinator. By 2022, he was Detroit's offensive coordinator. He not only faced his darkest moments as a coach, but took the ultimate "prove it" route by starting over when he took the quality control position with the Lions. He parlayed that into becoming arguably the best playcaller in the NFL and proved he can inject life into a quarterback's career.
Johnson could be overly confident. He's not, because he hasn't earned it as a head coach. Still, my eyes went wide when he was asked about not being egotistical in the slightest.
He doesn't want what he has not earned.
"I wasn’t a former player that was able to accelerate through this," Johnson said. "I went the long road. I went the hard road. I didn’t have a famous last name or dad that got me to where I am today. I had to work at it and I failed along the way as well and somehow I was able to, despite being on the street and having to hit the reset button and come back from the ashes, found a way to get it done."
That might be perceived as a thinly-veiled shot at the likes of Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay, where anyone associated with either of those two seemingly gets a head coaching interview no matter how experienced they are.
It was Johnson's way of saying what you saw on Thursday, and all the traits that come with him, were forged through trial and error, through losses and redemption.
Those traits were conveyed to the Bears front office in his virtual interview with the franchise. In a short amount of time, the Bears heard all they needed to hear.
"He really hit on a lot of the accountability, discipline, how we're going to work to get to where we need to get to," Bears General Manager Ryan Poles said. "Some of the things that I know we fell short on this past year. I'm confident he is going to address those things pretty quickly."
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How the Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson differs greatly from past head coaching hires
Ben Johnson's hiring is different, from the start of everything to the triumphant finish line as Johnson walked through the doors of Halas Hall to an abundance of cheers.
On Thursday, we saw that in action.
He took a shot at Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur, telling Bears fans two things: No. 1, he understands how important the rivalry is and No. 2, he's actually won against that team. That's not something the Bears have done often.
I got hit with nostalgia when Johnson explained his defensive philosophy.
"What we want to put on tape is a physical, detailed, smart unit," Johnson said. "Physicality, to me, is finishing in a dominant position."
Playing tough and smart? That was how legendary Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan coached his defenses. Play smart and tough, because playing scared and dumb gets you beat.
Johnson passed on using clichés in explaining his defense, too. He doesn't need that. The Bears have moved past the H.I.T.S. principle and the "Be You" speeches from the days of coaches past.
Johnson says what he wants. After that, he's going to do what he can to earn it.
The 19th head coach in Bears history won't ever be egotistical if he does earn it, either. Of all the things he learned, he never saw the value in being egotistical in a career that can change on a bad decision or two.
None of that rattles Johnson because he's been on both ends of the highs and lows. The Bears' next head coach knows what he needs to do to be successful and explained that on Wednesday.
Johnson's introduction looked different from past head coaches. He should have different results than those past head coaches, too.
"We needed to get Ben Johnson here," Poles said. "He's going to help us win football games."