The Chicago Bears are knee-deep in the preseason, and those in the Windy City are hoping it will mark a comeback season for the team. Last year, the Bears were at the end of the NFC North and just not a contender, so hopefully thigs will be different this time around.
The feeling at Soldier Field is already different. That’s because the Bears have a new head coach in Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions. He’s been working with quarterback Caleb Williams, who will be entering his second season wit the franchise. Williams was a No. 1 pick from Chicago, so he’s expected to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he fell short his rookie year.
Of course, there will be some added tensions when the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions, because Johnson was with Dan Campbell and the Lions for years. Now, Campbell has sent a bone-chilling message to Johnson to show that he’s not messing around.
Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions and Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears
GettyHead coach Ben Johnson of the Chicago Bears walks onto the field prior to the game against the Miami Dolphins during the NFL Preseason.
Campbell is ready to take on his former colleague. In an interview with WXYZ Sports Director Brad Galli, the Detroit Lions head coach said that while he’ll have the same attitude toward Johnson for their games in the NFC North this season as he would with any other team, he’s still going to be “out for blood.”
“I want to beat them, we want to beat them, I’m sure they want to beat us,” Campbell said. “But no, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We’re out for blood.”
So, are Campbell and Johnson still friends? In the interview, Campbell – who is a lifelong Metallica fan, by the way – said that he and Johnson still have a good relationship and have seen each other a bit during the offseason, but didn’t reveal the context of those meetings. So, it sounds like he’s cool with Johnson going to a rival team. Campbell is a chill guy, so this isn’t a surprise.
“I’ve said this before, if I really did this right, I should be able to just leave and these guys don’t miss a beat,” Campbell said. “I think if you really do your job, that can happen.”
Ben Johnson’s Chicago Bears Coach Ranking
In a piece for NBC Sports back in April, Patrick Daugherty names the top coaches in the NFL and discusses each coach. For Johnson, he talks about how he didn’t want the Commanders gig but waited for the Bears to come knocking.
“Johnson’s Commanders drama — and we do mean drama — will end up little more than an interesting footnote if he hits the ground running in Chicago,” he states in the piece. “If he doesn’t, McDaniels will be the first comparison that comes to mind. A coordinator who overestimated how big of a role he played in his former coach and quarterback’s success. That’s a lot of negative words.”
He adds, “The positives are Johnson helped turn Jared Freaking Goff into a perfect coaching marionette. Not even Sean McVay had as much success with the much-maligned former No. 1 overall pick. Johnson has juice. Here’s hoping he chose the right spot to apply it.”
Let’s hope that Johnson works wonderers with Williams like he did with Goff last season. Let the games begin.
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