Honestly, I can't really blame Ben Johnson.
In his first press conference as the Bears' head coach, Johnson made headlines for calling out — literally by name — Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. It was the type of calculated sound bite that everyone involved knew would kill, and boy did it.
Chicago media wasted literally no time whatsoever jumping on the joke, and if you can believe it, the clip found its way onto the internet! 'Ohhhh nooooo' the Bears' social media associate was heard sarcastically muttering right before they clipped and uploaded it onto every social media platform on the planet.
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Just as quickly as it went up, everyone was quick to point out that the Bears have, uh, not actually won anything since the dawn of man. It was also a lot of bluster from the offensive coordinator of a team that was portrayed as world-beaters all season and [checks notes] didn't win a single playoff game. So it should probably come as no surprise that Johnson quietly walked back the comments while on ESPN's First Take this week.
Ben Johnson backs off Packers trash talk while making a First Take appearance
"It's just some friendly banter," Johnson said. "I have a lot of respect for Matt. I've told him that as recently as a month ago. So it comes from a good place. Listen, there's a strong rivalry here between the Bears and the Packers. I'm well aware of it. I'm well aware of this division. I have a ton of respect, obviously, for all the coaches. I think 17 Pro Bowl players here. There's a ton of talent. If anything, it's all about competition. Listen, we're going to get their best shot. We're going to give them our best shot. And we'll see where the chips fall."
Ah! Just some friendly banter, that's all! Nothing embarrassing about getting caught up in the moment during a press conference and saying something you regret, which has totally never happened in Chicago before. (All schtick aside for one moment? I actually believe him and appreciate that he's bringing this energy to the NFC North. OK back to schtick.)
We love a feisty NFC North rivalry, but maybe win one (1) single game, Ben? Maybe find a way to make an offense featuring Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and more actually good? Then we can have a fun little press conference beef.