After a ‘‘sloppy’’ practice Sunday, Bears head coach Ben Johnson lit a fire under his team Tuesday at Halas Hall. He got exactly what he wanted.
The Bears had one of their most physical, intense and contentious practices in recent memory, complete with live tackling periods and several scuffles. Amid that atmosphere, quarterback Caleb Williams had one of his better days, including a back-shoulder throw up the left sideline to wide receiver Rome Odunze for a 40-yard touchdown.
Johnson shifted practice from the early-morning starts he chose the first two weeks to the middle of the day, in part to turn up the heat — literally and figuratively. And according to cornerback Nahshon Wright, he told players Tuesday was ‘‘the day to come and prove it.’’
Williams, appearing on NFL Network afterward, said it reflected Johnson’s approach.
‘‘Ben goes by these two simple things: smashmouth football — old, old, old-world football — and then new and innovative football,’’ he said.
Johnson promised beforehand this would be ‘‘a good one’’ and said he was ‘‘really expecting big things’’ heading into a scheduled players’ day off Wednesday. It was their last practice installing the offensive and defensive schemes, and with a focus on goal-line plays and other short-yardage scenarios — where success often comes down to grit more than anything else — friction was a given.
As soon as practice began, the Bears’ body language was what Johnson demanded.
Within the first 45 minutes, a minor tussle between second-stringers flared up. Then a bigger incident happened when Odunze lost his helmet while a defensive player had him by the jersey. Two dozen or so players entered the fray.
Running back Roschon Johnson and safety Jonathan Owens got into it after a play in which Owens punched the ball loose once Johnson whistled down. Johnson swung at him before Owens lunged at him and took him to the ground.
‘‘It’s just football; tempers flared,’’ Roschon Johnson said. ‘‘When you compete at a high level, stuff like that is going to happen.’’
Toward the end of practice, running back D’Andre Swift got into it with defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and threw the ball in his facemask after the play, prompting a coach to yell at him to knock it off.
Left tackle Braxton Jones tangled with defensive end Austin Booker, and Odeyingbo and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter got in on it, too, with Dexter shoving Jones to the ground.
‘‘That’s what we should practice like every day,’’ cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said. ‘‘That’s what we need to see out there every day to be a championship defense and championship offense.
‘‘As a defense, we felt good to come out there and get the message across to the offense that it’s time to practice.’’
There was little intervention by the coaching staff to break up fights.
It was a sharp practice by both sides, and Williams and the offense needed such a day after making far too many mistakes two days earlier at Soldier Field. That earned a warning from Ben Johnson that ‘‘we’re not going to win many games’’ if it continued.
Williams made one glaringly bad decision late in practice when he threw for wide receiver DJ Moore on the right sideline and underestimated nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon’s closing speed. Gordon stepped in front of the ball and nearly came up with an interception.
Other than that, however, Williams was solid. He had a good pass up the left side to rookie tight end Colston Loveland, and there were no pre-snap issues.
The competitiveness likely will spike again when the Bears host the Dolphins for a joint practice Friday. Johnson said he wanted to talk with Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel about the plan for that session, which is open to the public, before deciding who will play in the preseason game between the teams Sunday.
He likely will be weighing similar factors next week when the Bills visit for a joint practice ahead of their preseason game.
It’s an especially interesting call with Williams. The Bears won’t want to risk injury unnecessarily, but he’s still acclimating to Johnson’s offense.
Williams said on NFL Network that Johnson has asked ‘‘a lot’’ of him and that they’re using camp to ‘‘test limits.’’ He described the process as ‘‘fun’’ but ‘‘frustrating when you don’t get it.’’
Johnson clearly was frustrated coming out of Sunday and gave Williams and the team an opportunity to show they can do better. After a walkthrough Monday and a field trip to the beach to build chemistry, he got their attention Tuesday.
‘‘Very different,’’ Stevenson said, comparing the environment to the excursion Monday.
Stevenson and Roschon Johnson agreed it was among the most physical practices they’ve experienced in their brief time with the Bears, and Wright called it more intense than anything he saw in stints with the Cowboys and Vikings.
Most coaches want their teams to operate at that level but are averse to doing it in practice. Ben Johnson has pushed for it a few times since camp opened last month and allowed virtually everything short of hitting the quarterbacks.
If that’s the mentality the Bears bring into the season, including from Williams, it will be a much-needed change at Halas Hall.
