What the Chicago Bears gained in their most physical practice in over a decade

New York Times

2 days ago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday's practice would be physical.
He wasn't lying.
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson couldn't remember a practice with more hitting in his three training camps.
Running back Roschon Johnson said it was probably the most intense practice he's experienced as a Bear.
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Cornerback Nahshon Wright, on his third team in his fifth NFL season, confirmed. They were supposed to have only one period of live tackling, he said, but once it got going, it seemed like anything was fair game.
'There's a switch you turn on,' he said. 'So as soon as you tell somebody we're going live, it's hard to dial back, so it just became live practically the whole practice.'
When Ben Johnson implemented a period with full tackling in a practice a week ago, it was something not seen at Halas Hall in a long time. It didn't happen under Matt Eberflus. There was live tackling a few times early in Matt Nagy's tenure and in 2015 under John Fox, but it wasn't sustained under either coach.
Tuesday's practice, which began with short-yardage and goal-line situations, brought it to a whole different level.
'I feel like that's what we should practice like every day,' Stevenson said. 'That's the message the team shot to us, the coaching staff and everybody, that's what we need to see out there every day to be a championship defense and championship offense. Moving forward, that's what we want to see at practice.'
Interestingly enough, the Bears took a field trip to the beach on Monday. Stevenson joked that he enjoyed both days, as it was a completely opposite vibe 24 hours later in the afternoon sun. It was surely all part of Johnson's plan.
'It'll be a little bit hotter out there,' Johnson said before practice. 'I'm really expecting big things here from our guys.'
They answered.
This is how practices went in Detroit, where Johnson was the offensive coordinator under Dan Campbell. But in Chicago, it had been a rarity since the Lovie Smith days.
At the beginning of camp, veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett explained why he didn't believe in 'ramping up' and gave a sense of the significance of having practices like this in early August. It should prepare this team for the rigors of the games that count.
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'You should make this the hardest part of the season because from a phyiscal standpoint, the demands of the week won't be as heavy throughout the week getting to the game day,' Jarrett said last month. 'So this is the time when it's time to get hard, time to really challenge yourself, whether it's physically, mentally, emotionally.
'When you really push yourself to see how far you can go and when the time does come, when the game time does come, you know what you got in the tank, what you got in the trunk to reach back and get the job done.'
Gang tackling, as opposed to the normal thuds, will naturally lead to some post-play melees. The first scuffle came in 11-on-11 drills, when safety Jaquan Brisker and wide receiver Tyler Scott tussled. As players converged, wide receiver Rome Odunze's helmet came off.
Left tackle Braxton Jones and defensive end Austin Booker got into it, and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter got involved. Running back D'Andre Swift flicked the ball at defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo in frustration, earning a 15-yard penalty.
The most lively fracas came between running back Roschon Johnson and safety Jonathan Owens, as the two wrestled after a play.
'It's just football,' Johnson said. 'Tempers flared.'
The football purists cheered reports from practice. This was some real, hard-nosed, old-school football. Johnson barked at the offense during an 11-on-11 drill that included three false starts. Brisker and Jarrett were constantly firing up the defense. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had some big hits in the backfield. When the offense scored a touchdown from the 1-yard line, quarterback Caleb Williams let the defense know.
Wide receiver Devin Duvernay stiff-armed cornerback Terell Smith to the ground, setting off celebrations on the offensive sideline. Safety Major Burns leveled a tight end for one of the biggest hits you'll ever hear at training camp.
Bears unofficial depth chart pic.twitter.com/2pypTVneak
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Johnson set the tone in the morning meeting, and the team responded.
'Coach is kind of demanding physicality,' Wright said. 'That's going to be our identity.'
It certainly wasn't the Bears' identity in 2024, and while it was supposed to be a hallmark of Eberflus' teams, we didn't see it enough. Copying 'The Lions Way' should be welcomed. They've become the class of the division, while the Bears have been the doormat.
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'I told one of the rookies, 'I think that's the best we ever hit while I was here,'' Stevenson said. 'But it felt good to see the guys ramp up and just to see that everyone came ready to practice today.'
Whether or not it's correlated, both sides made impressive plays during the practice, whether it was Edmunds' and Brisker's tackles for loss or Williams' play-action strike to Cole Kmet on fourth down, or backup quarterback Tyson Bagent hitting tight end Joel Wilson on a play-action pass at the goal line. Defensive tackle Jonathan Ford's run stuff at the 1 got the defense pumped up.
Williams was sharper than he had been in the seven-on-seven, completing four of five passes, including an anticipatory out route to receiver DJ Moore. He ended his practice with a 40-yard touchdown to Odunze down the left sideline, one of his longest completions in team drills this summer.
Whether or not it's correlated, two players also left with apparent injuries. Kmet walked off the field with head trainer Andre Tucker, and interior offensive lineman Doug Kramer also got hurt. The Kmet situation will need to be monitored. Even with rookie tight end Colston Loveland in the fold — and Loveland had a couple of nice catches Tuesday — Kmet is supposed to be a huge part of the offense.
Offensive linemen Kiran Amegadjie and Bill Murray, linebacker Carl Jones Jr., wide receiver Miles Boykin, defensive tackle Shemar Turner and cornerback Zah Frazier were absent. Center Ricky Stromberg, running back Deion Hankins and long snapper Scott Daly returned to practice after missing time.
It's too early to know what kind of impact Johnson's camp philosophy will have on the regular season, but as long as players stay healthy and within the bounds of football, it should only be positive.
The Bears haven't had this kind of physical summer, let alone a practice like Tuesday, during a long stretch that hasn't included many victories. Now we'll wait to see if that can help form the type of team that can hit its opponent in the mouth this fall.
(Top photo of Ben Johnson: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)