In hiring Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears are behaving like a team that actually wants to win
By George McCaskey, the Chicago Bears did it.
They have reportedly hired Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions and this year’s top candidate, as their new head coach.
The expectation was they would get this wrong — a retread coaching candidate, a past-his-prime regular season winner or Matt Eberflus — and hindsight would begin immediately.
Ghosts of Marc Trestman live, if not in Halas Hall, then at the tailgates of Lake Shore Drive next to the 1985 Bears at every bar stool.
Johnson was the easy pick. A successful coach with a less-talented quarterback and a more historically moribund franchise than Chicago. The Bears took the easy pick. No consulting firm necessary. Trace Armstrong not included. Some assembly required. Success sold separately.
An original working title for this column was the “Cult of Mediocrity.” That word — mediocrity — has come to define Chicago sports in a city that sees itself as anything but that.
The Bulls define mediocre and are stuck in it. Cubs ownership is impersonating a lower-middle class household. The Blackhawks are trying, but are somehow worse. The White Sox are doing things projections systems have never seen, and not in a good way.
There was no reason to believe the McCaskeys and the Bears would be the ones to put their foot down — so quickly — and say enough. Maybe those “Sell the team” chants actually got to George. Maybe Kevin Warren or Ryan Poles are actually in charge of the football side.
It doesn’t matter now. It’s time to get to work. There’s no victory lap until the victories add up. All Poles and the Bears have proven so far is that when the obvious choice was put in front of them, they went in that direction.
Caleb Williams last winter. Ben Johnson this winter. It’s a low bar, and too many times Chicago sports franchises have failed at clearing even that. The Bears should come with higher expectations.
This city expects them to win, but so often shrugs its shoulders and moves on. The team will be back next year, and so will the old haunts, whether it’s a 13-4 or 4-13 season. It’ll be 40 years since the Bears won the Super Bowl, and since then, they’ve all ended the same.
Pay no mind that the Washington Commanders, who took a different quarterback No. 2 overall last year, are in the NFC Championship game. The same team Johnson backed out of coaching at the 11th hour, now lead by a retread defensive-minded head coach.
Those outcomes aren’t for the Bears. Their past would mean risking too much taking Jayden Daniels. Their past meant not risking enough to get Johnson to coach Williams this year.
They’ve now done everything they’re supposed to do. The top pick. The top coach. The Bears are behaving like we want Chicago teams to behave.
Now, it’s time to do what fans expect Chicago teams to do. It’s time to exorcise the past and give the the city something to buzz about. It’s time to stop talking about winning, and start winning.
Finally, at least one Chicago team is trying to do that.
