Day 14 of the Chicago Bears offseason. The No. 14 was my mom’s favorite number. She wore it as a volleyball player in high school. Gerald Everett wore No. 14 for the Bears last year. Jim Harbaugh wore it for the team in 1987. The most memorable Bears player to wear it might have been Santonio Holmes, if only because it serves as a reminder that the Super Bowl XLIII MVP played for the Bears in 2014. If you really want to know more about the No. 14’s history with the Bears, Pro Football Reference has the rundown of everyone who wore the number for the franchise.
- There is no need for elongated introductions. The Bears’ top candidate to be their next head coach must be Ben Johnson. We don’t need to play devil’s advocate. Hearing both sides for the sake of embracing debate is unnecessary. Whataboutisms centering around other candidates that are being propped up for no other reason than people just want to hear themselves talk is something I have no interest in doing โ especially since it wouldn’t come from a genuine place and there is a long-standing understanding between me (as a writer here at BN going on 10 years) and you (my beloved reader) that I will be real with you if you keep it real with me.
- With that being said, this is me being real: The Bears’ next coach has to be Ben Johnson. Are there other interesting candidates? Sure. Other acceptable hires? I guess. Coaches who we’re not considering who could outperform expectations? Absolutely. But before going down the rabbit hole of other coaches, the Bears need to give Ben Johnson their best pitch. And if he walks away and into the arms of Tom Brady, then you can move on to Plan B. However, you do not โย under any circumstances โย begin exploring contingency plans until you are certain that the thing you want doesn’t want you back. Why settle for a fast-food burger when a steak dinner is still a viable dinner option?
For all the silly takes about Ben Johnson having a bad game last night, the Lions offense scored 31 points, racked up 521 yards of total offense, averaged 7.7 yards per play, converted 30 first downs (and only one on a penalty), and had their quarterback sacked just twice. All that despite having five turnovers (including four interceptions). Detroit didn’t win. And while Johnson’s play calls and decisions weren’t perfect, anyone saying he had a bad game is being disingenuous.
- As for the pursuit of the Lions OC, business is picking up. For starters, the Bears’ meeting with Tennessee State University football coach Eddie George (yes, that Eddie George) will be an in-person interview (h/t Courtney Cronin). Once that is completed, Chicago’s football team will be compliant with the Rooney Rule (the in-person interview with Ron Rivera was the first step toward completing this process). This won’t be George’s first trip to Halas Hall. You might recall he coached with the team during the 2023 offseason as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship.
- The Bears aren’t the only team angling to make a run at Ben Johnson now that the Lions’s season is over:
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that Washington Commanders Assistant GM Lance Newmark is set to interview with the Raiders is a big domino to fall in this process. It looks like the Raiders are lining up the organizational alignment that Ben Johnson reportedly desires. The plot thickens.
- Here is where I land: If the Bears had Ben Johnson as their No. 1 target, knew that hiring Ben’s preferred GM candidate was a potential deal-maker, and still didn’t do it … then they have no one to blame but themselves if he goes to the Raiders.
- This feels worth re-sharing:
- Before announcing the hiring of Jeff Ulbrich as their new defensive coordinator, the Atlanta Falcons chopped it up with former Bears coach Matt Eberflus interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their vacant defensive coordinator position. The team’s website provided a pretty thorough shakedown of Eberflus, weighing the pros and cons of the former head coach as a DC candidate. I can’t say I saw that coming from a team-run website. But as I mentioned at the start of this Bullet, the Falcons are going in a different direction.
- Another former Bears head coach (albeit on an interim basis) is on the interview trail. Thomas Brown is on the Pats’ offensive coordinator wish list (h/t Ian Rapoport). I wonder if the Bears would be eligible to get draft compensation for Thomas Brown getting hired away by the Pats as their offensive coordinator. Josh McDaniels seems like a likely candidate to get that job. But I am rooting for Brown to get a shot to work with Drake Maye, especially since his early work with Caleb Williams looked so good.
- Speaking of Caleb Williams, you can cancel your freak-out if you saw him on TV with a cast on his wrist. He’s fine.
- Another Caleb Williams adjacent nugget:
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- Chicago Cubs owner and chairman Tom Ricketts talks about the Cubs’ spending.
- Over at BN Bulls, Eli wonders if the tank is officially underway at the United Center.
- Victory! Tab has three stars and key takeaways from the Blackhawks’ win against the Golden Knights.