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Turns out, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson doesn't hate every opposing coach he's set to face in the playoffs. Just days after Johnson's actions with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur raised eyebrows, the Bears' coach had nothing but good things to say about his next opponent, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.
When asked Monday about squaring off against McVay and the Rams in the divisional round, Johnson wasted no time praising the coach's efforts, per the Chicago Tribune.
"It’s hard to gauge who’s best and who’s worst when it comes to coaching, but there’s no question about it — he’s in the upper echelon,” Johnson said Monday. “All of his teams are well-prepared. There’s no doubt that he’s super sharp on the offensive side, but how he does it as a head coach, bringing all three phases together, is really critical to their success. He knows how to speak to the team and get the most out of them.
“There’s a reason why they’re in it damn near every year since he’s been there.”
That was a stark contrast compared to Johnson's words and actions following the Bears' 31-27 comeback win over the Packers in the wild-card round. After sharing an extremely brief handshake with LaFleur, Johnson was later spotted screaming "f*** the Packers" in a video shared by the Bears' social-media team.
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It was far from the first time Johnson took a swipe at LaFleur and the Packers. In Johnson's first press conference as Bears head coach, he mentioned how much he enjoyed beating LaFleur twice a year when Johnson was an offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions.
Back then, Johnson's words felt like pandering, his way of ingratiating himself among Bears fans. But Johnson's jubilant, celebratory yells Saturday night felt far more legitimate, as if Johnson was fully able to fully absorb the teams' rivalry in just one season as the Bears' head coach.
While Johnson's actions have drawn some criticism, he's stood by his words and deeds. Following his locker room outburst, Johnson said the Bears were extra motivated after Packers players said they wanted to play Chicago in the playoffs. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams echoed that sentiment.
When asked about those comments Monday, Johnson doubled down, defending his actions and saying, "I don't like that team."
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Given all that, it may have come as a surprise that Johnson took virtually the exact opposite approach when discussing McVay. It's certainly possible the Bears' head coach has a lot of respect for what McVay has accomplished in the NFL. It's also possible that — after the Bears made such a big deal about being given bulletin-board material — Johnson is doing the best he can to not upset the Rams ahead of Sunday's game.
McVay, to his credit, took the same approach when asked about Johnson on Monday, per Pro Football Talk.
“I’ve studied him really closely from when he took over and started doing it in Detroit,” McVay said. “I think the guys that do the best job are the ones that you can see there’s a true understanding of what defenses are doing and an intent to try to be able to manipulate a lot of the rules and the coaching points and to really try to attack your front mechanics, your coverage contours, understand some of the percentages of what you’re doing situationally, and then being able to maximize his player skill sets. You could see there’s a philosophy and core beliefs in terms of how he wants to build it.
McVay later added, "[Johnson] does a damn good job."
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That should take some drama out of what should otherwise be an exciting game Sunday. While the Rams might be the stronger team on paper, Johnson's Bears have shown the ability to remain calm no matter the situation. That trait has helped the team pull out a number of improbable wins this season.
If the Bears can do that one more and keep their miracle season alive Sunday, expect yet another demonstrative celebration from Johnson. But don't expect that celebration to include shots at the Rams or McVay, a team and coach Johnson clearly respects.
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