Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been receiving rave reviews in his first 10 games. For the first time since 2018, Chicago is 7-3 in their first 10 games of the season, and that’s also the same year they won the NFC North.
Having completely flipped the team’s success from utter failure in 2024 to a competitive threat in the NFC this season, Johnson is quickly becoming a favorite in the Bears organization. Whether it’s within the locker room, throughout the fanbase, or even former players who are watching this current team, Johnson has received plenty of praise in his first tenure as a head coach in the NFL.
One former player who is a big believer is Tom Thayer, a member of the 1985 Bears, the last Super Bowl championship winning team in Chicago. Thayer, who now serves as an analyst on ESPN 1000 and Chicago Bears radio, turned heads when he said he believes that Johnson is already the best coach in franchise history.
“Mike Ditka was the best coach for 1985, Ben Johnson is the best football coach the Bears have ever had,” Thayer said on ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy. “For free agency, for offensive input, for quarterback development, for seriousness, and his approach inside the team meeting room, how it resonates to offense, defense, and special teams. He’s put together a group of great assistant coaches, so for this era of football, I think Ben Johnson is the best coach. For the ’80s, Mike Ditka was the best coach for 1985 (team).”
That is massive praise from Thayer, but the entirety of his statement makes complete sense when looking at the big picture future of the Bears franchise. Mike Ditka will forever be on the Mount Rushmore of coaches in Bears history, alongside George Halas. And if Ben Johnson can bring the first Super Bowl to the city since Ditka, he may quickly find a place alongside the former great coaches.
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