It’s officially official.
We are in our Ben Johnson era as Chicago Bears fans.
A statement from the new Bears head coach (via the team’s official website):
“The Chicago Bears are a world-class franchise with a phenomenal history and incredible fanbase,” said Johnson.
“I am thankful to George, Kevin, Ryan and the entire organization for presenting me and my family with this tremendous opportunity. Having been on the opposing sideline, I can attest to how passionate Bears fans are about this city and their team, and I am honored to be their head coach.
“My family and I are incredibly blessed and fortunate to take this next step in our journey, and I cannot wait to lead our players, our support staff and organization, while doing so at the service of Bears fans. We are looking forward to fully ingraining ourselves in the great city of Chicago, as we work to create an impact in this special community. I am excited to partner with Ryan and the entire organization as we work to create a championship-caliber program. We are ready to get to work.”
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin shares that the Bears’ introductory press conference with Ben Johnson will be at 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday at Halas Hall. I hope you’ll tune in.
The Ben Johnson Era is officially underway
A new era always brings a bit of excitement around these parts. But there is something that feels different about the journey we are about to embark on as fans following the Ben Johnson era. Maybe that feeling is rooted in the Bears successfully reeling in the highest-profile coaching candidate available on the market. Perhaps the vibes are good because there is a belief in quarterback Caleb Williams, which I imagine is growing in fans now that he’ll have an offensive-leaning coach in his ear. It could be as simple as a clean slate providing what we need. However you want to slice it, it just feels good.
Frankly, we haven’t had enough feel-good moments around here in the eight years we have been together as a site. So if you want to let this news of Ben Johnson’s hiring being officially official sink in a little more than usual, do it. As a Bears fan, you’ve been through a lot so you should enjoy this feeling while you can. September will be here before you know it and you’ll be yelling at the TV about a missed opportunity on a third-down conversion soon enough.