{"id":73979,"date":"2025-08-11T05:50:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T05:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/73979\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T05:50:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T05:50:12","slug":"ben-johnson-fit-to-be-tied-in-first-game-as-bears-head-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/73979\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Johnson fit to be tied in first game as Bears’ head coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bears<\/a> coach Ben Johnson<\/a> held his laminated call sheet in front of his mouth but pulled it away in plenty of time to give lip-readers a fighting chance.<\/p>\n

About 25 minutes into a game that would end in a 24-24 tie<\/a> Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears faced a fourth-and-goal at the Dolphins\u2019 4. Johnson called the play in for quarterback Tyson Bagent on his headset but said, through gritted teeth, more than just the formation, route and blocking scheme.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably something like, \u2018We\u2019re going for it,\u2019\u2009\u2019\u2019 said Bagent, who threw a touchdown pass to Maurice Alexander along the back line of the end zone. \u201cAnd throw in a couple of filler words there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson doesn\u2019t try to hide his intensity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was told today was Family Day, and so we had a lot of kids,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably a good thing they couldn\u2019t hear me on the sideline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressed on what he said, he gave a knowing smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know what I\u2019m saying,\u201d he said. \u201cYeah. We\u2019re looking to score.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson didn\u2019t play quarterback Caleb Williams or most of his starters, but don\u2019t think for a second that he found the game insignificant. The message he delivered in the locker room before the game captured that perfectly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe game doesn\u2019t count,\u201d Bagent recalled him saying. \u201cBut the game matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson invoked John Elway, the Broncos quarterback-turned-executive, who was so disgusted by a 40-10 preseason loss in 2013 that he stomped into the locker room and told his team that the performance was unacceptable. The Broncos went on to play in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s right on another front \u2014 the scores of preseason games don\u2019t matter one bit. His predecessor, Matt Eberflus, went 8-2 in three preseasons. He was undefeated in his first preseason and again last year. He won four games \u2014 three against playoff teams \u2014 by a combined 78 points last year. He eventually became the first Bears coach fired during the season.<\/p>\n

The Bears have spent most of their 105 years hiring assistant coaches to run teams for the first time in their lives and praying they figure it out. Most have failed. Johnson\u2019s challenges will be no different \u2014 not that a tie against the Dolphins would change anything.<\/p>\n

There were indications, though, that some of the Bears\u2019 long-standing problems have a chance of getting fixed. Bagent called Johnson\u2019s act of getting the plays called into his helmet \u201cvery efficient,\u201d a breath of fresh air for any fan who remembers Matt Nagy or Eberflus running players, or plays, onto the field too late.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t hesitate,\u201d Bagent said. \u201cHe called his game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson showed poise in special situations, too. Given the ball at his 48 with six seconds left in the first half, Johnson called a short pass to Luther Burden III, who sprinted to the sideline with one second to play. Kicker Cairo Santos then drilled a 57-yard field goal.<\/p>\n

Those small clues will have to do for now, given that Johnson didn\u2019t play most of his starters.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins deemed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa worthy of starting, and he went 5-for-6 for 27 yards on their opening drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t undervalue the process of getting ready for a game,\u201d Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. \u201cI think our team can benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson, however, chose not to play Williams. Instead, he had him run almost 70 plays in a practice setting hours before kickoff. Johnson called in the plays to Williams, who was put in scenarios on first, second and third down. Williams threw passes to wide receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Olamide Zaccheaus, tight end Cole Kmet and running back D\u2019Andre Swift.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no substitute for real live bullets \u2014 I get that,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAt the same time, when you can accumulate 70-plus reps in a day, that\u2019s pretty good. And that goes a long way in terms of where you want to go with the connection with his pass catchers. I wish I could do that every day, or every other, with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson has said Williams likely will play in a preseason game. Some light work \u2014 10 plays, maybe? \u2014 seems likely against the Bills next week, given that the third preseason game is usually reserved for the back end of the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see what next week has in mind,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Bagent marched the Bears to 10 points in the second quarter \u2014 the four-yarder to Alexander and the Santos field goal \u2014 before giving way to Case Keenum, who is only one year younger than Johnson. He went 8-for-10 with two touchdown passes.<\/p>\n

The Bears have painted the battle between the two as competition for the second-string job. Bagent, who went 13-for-19 with a touchdown pass and an interception, seems likely to be the first one off the bench were anything to happen to Williams. The team will keep three quarterbacks and values having Keenum around to share veteran knowledge with their second-year starter. Austin Reed, who played most of the fourth quarter, is a practice-squad candidate.<\/p>\n

Johnson was pleased with their effort, even if the result left him fit to be tied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just don\u2019t know how to feel when it ends up being 24-24,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter \u2014 preseason or not. You go out there, they\u2019re keeping score, and you\u2019re playing to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Bears<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Ben Johnson walked away with a 24-24 tie against the Dolphins in his head-coaching debut. <\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Miami<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

He and Nahshon Wright are fighting for a starting job.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

read<\/p>\n

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\"Dolphins<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Had Sunday been a regular season game, the kick would have been the longest of his career.<\/p>\n

[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]
\n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n

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