Bears HC Ben Johnson sets fierce tone with intensity on training camp Day 1

Ribin Peter

Bears HC Ben Johnson sets fierce tone with intensity on training camp Day 1 image

Wednesday's training camp gave Bears fans their first real glimpse of the new culture Ben Johnson is instilling in his first year at the helm.

Johnson wasted no time demonstrating his expectations on the field. ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported that during the first 11-on-11 segment, the Bears' starting offense was pulled from drills after mistakes piled up.

"The word 'intense' was used a lot this spring to describe practice and the shared mentality of Ben Johnson and his coaches," Cronin tweeted. "That carried over to Day 1 of training camp where the 1st team offense got thrown out of a drill by Johnson during a drill when they couldn't get lined up properly. We saw that intensity on defense, too, when Dennis Allen had his players doing up-downs."

After the training, a reporter asked tight end Cole Kmet if he was surprised when Johnson "yanked off" the first team.

 

 "I think that's on par for how Ben is," Kmet said. ... "I think I was actually a little exhausted. So all I heard was a little bit of yelling and I knew that, obviously, things weren't going well there for the last few plays. But no, I think that's on par for Ben.

"If you're not doing it right, he's gonna get you out. And he's not gonna just see that stuff continue. So it's just a lesson to us that you gotta be on the details."

Ben Johnson has set a powerful tone, and the players are joining him on this hard but exciting journey. If Johnson can continue leading with this intensity, Bears fans could be in for a memorable season.

Ribin Peter

Ribin Peter is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. While he started as a soccer writer, he now covers college football and the NFL. Ribin is especially captivated by the adrenaline rush that football provides and sees every play and rivalry through an unbiased lens.