Ben Johnson - Offensive Coordinator, bears Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-18 | Full transcript (primary source).
Ben Johnson, Offensive Coordinator for the Bears, addressed the media during a press conference on September 18, 2026, following a week of preparation for their upcoming home game. The discussion focused on the team's excitement to play in front of their home crowd and the challenges posed by their opponent's defense.
Transcript
Johnson: It's been a good week so far, we'll cap it off here today. Like I said, our guys are excited to be at home for the first time this year, and looking forward to the crowd and seeing what that looks like. So go ahead and open it up.
Unknown: And you talked about the challenging parts of the week, when it's a week like this against the defensive corner like Flores. Are there things you enjoy about the challenge, like are things as you get closer to game, but that are kind of fun about that?
Johnson: Yeah, no, I think this is when you're facing high-level opponents, good opponents, when you're a competitor, I think that's what gets your juices flowing a little bit. And so I think I've got a lot of respect for them over there, players, coaches, they do a phenomenal job. And once again, I think you walk into the building every day here, and everyone's got a commitment. You just don't want to let down the guy next to you. You want to make sure you're upholding your part of the bargain for them and putting them in good spots. And so that's really what all that's on my mind right now.
Unknown: You call press the most organized coach you've ever been around. Like, how does having his library of cut-ups, because he talked about all the specific scenarios in facing the Flores defense, how does having that help you in game plan this week?
Johnson: Yeah, I mean, every week there's so many ideas. Our whole staff does a phenomenal job going through and throwing things at the wall. And to their credit, a lot of it doesn't stick, and yet it helps stimulate the thought for all of us. And so he's a ringleader behind it. I think he's got years and years and years of things that you can always fall back on. And so I think for us as a coaching staff, he's trying to whittle down just exactly what are their rules, how can we use some things that maybe we've seen from the past, you know, and maybe they apply or maybe they don't apply. And we've got principles that we believe in. It always starts with that. And then if there's a few wrinkles that we can throw in each week, that's a huge part of it too.
Unknown: Caleb had a lot of success as a scrambler the other day. When you see how well he does, does that, are you tempted to put in some planned runs? And also, what's the balance of that might be there, but that's also maybe a little more dangerous than him dropping back the threat?
Johnson: Yeah, each week's different. We have a good mix of things designed for him. I think that's no different this week. And certainly he does it organically himself as well. And I think that's why he's so hard to prepare for. You know, these quarterbacks sustain age. They're able to use their legs just as well as their arms. And, you know, I think it just adds another dimension and really challenging when you're on the defensive side, looking to contain and you talk all week about keeping them in the pocket, forcing them to play quarterback. And yet, that's easier said than done a lot of times, particularly when you got a guy like him who's so good at escaping. So, you know, if I had my druthers, every single play, the primary receiver would get the ball in rhythm and timing. And yet, there's plenty of times I don't call the plays against the right coverages or it didn't work out quite like we thought and he makes us right. So, it's a luxury for sure.
Unknown: Faster this year than he was last year. Does it just look it because he lost the weight?
Johnson: I, yeah, I think he's probably always been a really, really high level runner.
Unknown: And you guys scored 59 points, but did you feel even like there were still some things you didn't unpack, you didn't get to in the offense?
Johnson: You're still talking about last week, aren't you? Well, it's kind of like going forward. I mean, these are still things like leveling, for example, like these are things you guys could feature more prominently going forward.
Unknown: Yeah, every week we've got all of our guys that we anticipate being active for game day. They're all gonna be having a role and being primary receivers at some point. And so, Colson has got a healthy amount that we'd like to get to him. Same thing with Rome, same thing with Luther, same thing with Colcomette, same thing with both of our backs. Khalif obviously led the team. You just don't know who's gonna, where the ball's gonna go every single week. And yet, our commitment to them, when they play as hard as they do, is making sure that they have chances and we get a chance to where they are the guy for that particular play. Now, whether it works out or not, there's things you can't control after the snap. But we certainly look to involve all of them, especially when they're as selfless as they are. They care nothing more but to win. That's our whole mentality on offense is how do we move the ball? How do we get in the end zone? How do we win games as a team? And the selflessness, I commend them for that because it's not everywhere in the league.
Unknown: Yesterday, DA talked about wanting to control the line of scrimmage, do a better job there. Obviously, that's a goal. But when they've got a player like Justin Jefferson, who you guys did a pretty nice job of in both games last year, how high on your to-do list or watch out for this guy, could an elite wide receiver be?
Johnson: Yeah, I mean, it starts with Aaron Jones and then certainly they got deep throws there to 18 as well. And then the tight ends, I want to say they had two guys, they're the only team, week one, that had two tight ends with four more targets too. So they spread the ball around. They do a phenomenal job just making you defend all 53 and a 30 yards throughout and then they got the deep balls over the top of the thing too that very, very challenging. And so it's hard to say you can take away just one aspect of it. We need all of our guys to rise up to the occasion here this week.
Unknown: I talk about this week is a battle of one-on-ones across the board. I mean, our guys on offense, going against them on defense, the way they structure themselves, you got to win your one-on-one battle with the proper technique and fundamentals. Same thing on our defense, going against them. We got to defeat our blocks. We got to play a low pad level. And then our corners, they got to hold up against guys like Justin and Addison. I mean, really good players there on the outside. So huge, huge challenge when you go against a team like this.
Unknown: I know it seems like everyone in this building wants to move past the 59 points and the win in week one, but what's your overall message to the team? I'm not asking you to open the door. I'm going to keep going. What's the message to move on from week one to make sure everyone's on the same page, just looking ahead?
Johnson: Yeah, we all know we've lived this rollercoaster that each week seems like a roller, it's up and down. You win and your sky high, you lose and you stink. And so we just try to stay as static inside of the building as we possibly can. We know we made a ton of mistakes in all three phases. We're looking to clean those up. We're looking to get better each and every week. You've heard a couple of those guys in the locker room talk about that should be our worst game that we played week one. We should continue to get better from here on out so that we're playing our best football in December and January. That's our sole mission in life right now. We've had two really good days of practice. We need another good one here today. And we're looking to try to compete with a really good team here and get a W at home.
Unknown: From your perspective, how much of a challenge is it for DA to prepare for a game with two different quarterbacks that might play and they have different styles?
Johnson: Yeah, no, it's one of those things that can put you in a blender a little bit, particularly when they are as different as they are. So if we have to adjust, then we will. Probably won't find out until the last hour. And yet, our plan is our plan. Like I said before, we've got to win our one-on-ones across the board, regardless of who the quarterback is.
Unknown: Dallas Turner, what stood out when you watched him?
Johnson: Yeah, he looks like a different player to me. A lot of respect for him coming out of college and the twitchy athlete. And yet, this year, one game sample size, but what he did last week, he looked every bit of his advertising when he was coming out. And so we're highly aware of where he can line up. They put him all over the place. They do a great job. And it's the same thing. If our tackles are matched up on them one-on-one, then that's when we got to dig in and we got to hold up.
Unknown: Is it harder to prepare for Harrison Smith now, just knowing he still might be on a snap count, easing into?
Johnson: Yeah, I don't know that there's anything in particular like where we got a bullseye around him. Here's what I know about him is he's like their quarterback. He's like their defensive coordinator on the field. This guy, it's a battle with him as much as it is for us because you see him in and out of the checks. You make a check, he's making a check, play that game just back and forth, in and out. He is, without knowing him, looks like super smart. He's all over the place. He's a step ahead. I got a tremendous amount of respect for him. So if he's out there, I think last week was more situational, and yet he has a problem. He's a major problem.
Unknown: Last one. Ben, you've talked a lot about your admiration for Khalif. You specifically look at his punt-returning duties. What strikes you about the way he handles those in terms of what it does for you guys?
Johnson: Well, yeah, I mean, he's fearless. I think it starts with that. He's got so much experience back there that he knows when he can push the limits a little bit and be aggressive. I think it's really trickled down to all of our other guys that are back there catching punts as well. But really good feel. He's going to make all these blockers better on the punt return to me. I think any time you're out there and you see you have a guy like that, it makes you want to make sure your guy is not making the tackle because it's that close to being a huge play every time he touches the ball. So it's massive. And then I go in last Friday and I'm in my office and it's 45 minutes after practices and he's still out there catching punts. And that's who he is. And so no surprise whatsoever when he goes out there and has great punt returns. No surprise when he goes out there and has production as a receiver. He puts in the work.
