Everything new Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said in his introductory news conference
The Chicago Bears introduced new head coach Ben Johnson on Wednesday, where the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator laid out his plans as the 19th head coach in franchise history.
There were a few Bears players in attendance, as well as general manager Ryan Poles, who introduced Johnson to the assembled media. Here is everything the newest Bears coach said Wednesday morning at his introductory news conference:
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Ben Johnson: Good morning. It is an honor to stand before everyone today as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
“I would be remiss not to acknowledge a number of people that have helped me along the way here, starting with where I just came from. Sheila Ford Hamp and her family have been incredible for the last six years of my life, making Detroit and the Lions organization a great place for me and my family and raising our kids. Dan Campbell is more than just a colleague to me he is a friend, he is a mentor, he is a man that trusted me when he didn’t need to. I will forever be in his debt and respect the heck out of him. He’s an amazing person. One time someone told me he is a unicorn and there could not be more true words than that.
“I appreciate Rod Wood, Mike Disner, the rest of the executives there in Detroit. They were a pleasure to work with and it was one of the most memorable times being able to turn that franchise around. The offensive staff in Detroit: there might have been some tough nights there might have been some tough game days but I do appreciate your support your understanding and, really, your camaraderie at the end of the day. The Players … Man, this is one of the hardest things to do is to leave a group of men that you love. I will forever be impacted by (Amon-Ra) St. Brown, (Jared) Goff, (Frank) Ragnow … I can keep going on and on, and on one of the reasons you get into coaching is to make the people around you better. But the truth is that those group of guys they made me a better coach and a better person. They inspired me every single day and I love driving into work to work with those men every single day.
“One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle for me is my family, my wife. You have been the rock. I know it has not been easy one of the most selfish things I’ve ever done is to ask you to come on this adventure, and you did it full steam ahead, no ifs, ands or buts and you’ve become a fantastic mother and such an incredible partner. This is not my journey, this is our journey. Thank you so much along the way
“Rick Smith and Priority Sports, thank you for making this transition seamless for me. Things happened fast once the season ended, and you were able to provide all the necessary information to to make an informed decision. Thank you for that.
“I want to thank the search committee here in Chicago. It was clear to me from the beginning that the priorities were straight: There’s only one way for us to have success here, and that’s the right people in place. George (McCaskey), thank you for trusting the people that you’ve hired. It is perfectly clear that you’re willing to provide all the resources necessary for us to build a sustained winner here in Chicago. Kevin (Warren), I appreciate your support, as well, you’re going to play an integral part of everything that we have going on, and Ryan (Poles), thank you so much for trusting and believing in me. What you and your staff have already built here is so enticing. This roster is absolutely loaded with talent already, and I look forward to building it with you. You and I, as we’ve already talked about, we’re going to be in lock-step every step of the way. I cannot wait to work with you.
“I told this search committee that I wanted this job, and there’s several reasons why I wanted this job. The first is this place for the last 10-plus years my family and I have been coming up for a (Chicago) Cubs series every summer, and it doesn’t take long to realize that this place is special. These people are special. This is exactly where I wanted to raise my family, my kids. I know we’re going to have so much fun living up here in Chicago. All right, number two is this roster that that Ryan’s already built. It is stocked, it’s loaded … everyone wants to talk about the quarterback and Caleb (Williams), I’m excited to work with you, but it’s going to take more than just you, and there are a lot of pieces already in place. I can’t wait to get to work with the rest of you guys. And then finally, I wanted to stay in this division (the NFC North). I know this is the toughest division of football right now. There’s three teams that made the playoffs this year. I’ve got tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and the players in this league, having competed against them for the last six years: (Lions coach) Dan Campbell, (Vikings coach) Kevin O’Connell … you’re talking about two guys that are up for Coach the Year Awards as the season ends here, and to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating (Packers coach) Matt LeFleur twice a year.
