logo
Bears HC Ben Johnson emphasizes accountability on offense: 'No block, no rock'

Bears HC Ben Johnson emphasizes accountability on offense: 'No block, no rock'

USA Today01-03-2025

Bears HC Ben Johnson emphasizes accountability on offense: 'No block, no rock'
During the Chicago Bears' extremely disappointing 2024 season, the biggest word used by players in the locker room was accountability, and the lack of it across the board.
In a season that saw three different offensive coordinators and two head coaches at the helm, accountability was a word often used by players when meeting with the media and how it was much needed heading into next season. Ben Johnson's arrival in Chicago not only brings excitement and optimism for what he can do for the offense and quarterback Caleb Williams, but his presence should turn around the locker room as well.
During an interview with ESPN 1000 at the NFL Scouting Combine, Johnson reiterated that accountability will be a top priority for the team this season. Speaking on his own views for the team and himself, Johnson reflected on what went wrong for the Bears last season and how he plans to address the changes.
"When you talk about last year what was lacking, the accountability," Johnson said. "That's the word that's probably come up more than anything. That's something that we're going to address. I can't help myself, I'm going to be very blunt, very honest with my version of the truth going forward, and so is the coaching staff, they know the task at hand. Beyond that I think we have a lot of really talented pieces already in that locker room."
Offensively, Johnson recognizes the level of talent currently on the Bears roster, like wide receiver DJ Moore.
"You look at the offensive side, there are playmakers, it's just a matter of getting it into their hands in space," Johnson said. "DJ Moore is one of the best run-after-catch receivers in the NFL and I don't know that the rest of the league knows that per se so we got to find a way to get him the ball a certain number of times per game. Of course he knows, he better be blocking as well cause, no block, no rock."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

3-star cornerback Derrick Johnson II commits to the Oklahoma Sooners
3-star cornerback Derrick Johnson II commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

USA Today

time28 minutes ago

  • USA Today

3-star cornerback Derrick Johnson II commits to the Oklahoma Sooners

3-star cornerback Derrick Johnson II commits to the Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners have received a commitment in each of the last three days following their first big recruiting weekend of the summer. On Sunday night, defensive end Matthew Nelson committed to Oklahoma. On Monday, Noah Best pledged to the Sooners. On Tuesday, the Sooners added their 10th player in the 2026 recruiting class, receiving a commitment from cornerback Derrick Johnson II. Johnson is considered a three-star prospect in the cycle and hails from Marietta Valley, California. He's a long and tall cornerback, standing 6-foot-2, and he weighs 170 pounds. Johnson chose the Sooners over offers from Utah, Washington, Kansas, and UCLA. He's a physical cornerback that covers well in man-to-man. Johnson has the speed to run with wide receivers down the field and the lateral movement ability to stick with receivers in and out of the breaks. He also plays wide receiver at the high school level and shows off great hands when he gets an opportunity to catch the football. Johnson is the first cornerback committed in the 2026 cycle for Jay Valai and the Sooners defense. With his size and speed he's a promising corner for Brent Venables to deploy on the outside of his defense. Derrick Johnson II Recruiting Profile Watch Derrick Johnson II Highlights on Hudl Vitals Projected Position Cornerback Height 6-foot-2 Weight 170 pounds Hometown Murietta Valley, Ca. Ratings Site Stars Overall Position State Rivals 3 -- 45 52 ESPN -- -- -- -- 247Sports 3 -- 50 52 247Sports Composite 3 604 50 52 On3 3 -- 57 41 On3 Industry 3 607 57 54 Offers Oklahoma Utah Kansas Washington UCLA TCU Arizona Arizona State BYU Cal Colorado State Michigan State Minnesota Nebraska Oregon State Purdue San Diego State UNLV Social Media Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Dustin Johnson says he 'can grind for another six years' before stepping away
Dustin Johnson says he 'can grind for another six years' before stepping away

San Francisco Chronicle​

time37 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Dustin Johnson says he 'can grind for another six years' before stepping away

OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — So much about Dustin Johnson returning to Oakmont is about reliving past glory. He won his first major championship at the U.S. Open under extreme and bizarre conditions that allowed him to exorcise so many demons in the majors and become the best player in the world. That was nine years ago. The question now is how much golf he has left. 'I think I've got another six years in me,' Johnson said, contemplating the question only briefly before coming up with a most arbitrary number. 'I can grind for another six years. And then I'm going fishing.' Johnson already has a Hall of Fame career with his 24 titles on the PGA Tour, two majors, the only player to sweep the World Golf Championships, one of only five players to have been No. 1 in the world for more than 100 weeks. He turns 41 in two weeks. Why grind? 'Because I want to get back,' he said. 'Because I know I've still got it.' Johnson was the biggest name to sign with Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022 when the golf world was turned upside down. He was on the fringe of contention that summer at St. Andrews and the next year in the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He won in each of the first three years on the rival circuit of short fields (54 players) and short weeks (54 holes). The last 16 months have made him feel like an afterthought. He has not finished among the top three on LIV in his last 20 events. He has missed the cut in five of his last seven majors. He tied for 10th last week on LIV, which he considered progress. 'I feel like my game's been really close," he said. 'I haven't really got a lot out of it. So it was definitely nice to have a nice finish last week. I played good every day. I didn't ... you know, still kind of giving away some shots. I need to clean that up a little bit." There is rarely any urgency to anything Johnson does, and that six-year window comes with a caveat. He has two more years left on his 10-year exemption from winning at Oakmont in 2016. Next month will be his last free pass to the British Open from his 2020 Masters victory. He needed a special invitation to the PGA Championship this year. Johnson has played only one non-major since joining LIV. That was the Saudi International at the end of last year. He missed the cut. Yes, Oakmont seems like a long time ago. Few players have endured more misfortune in the majors and have been able to shake it off. There was the 82 in the final round at Pebble Beach in the 2010 U.S. Open. He was knocked out of a playoff at Whistling Straits that year in the PGA Championship for setting his 4-iron into sand where spectators had been sitting. That was deemed to be a bunker. He had a 12-foot eagle putt to win the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, only for it to slide some 4 feet by on a green that had hardly any grass. He missed the birdie putt and finished one behind Jordan Spieth. His mental toughness is underrated. Imagine playing the last seven holes of a U.S. Open not knowing the score because the USGA was trying to decide whether to penalize him for a ball that moved on the fifth green of the final round at Oakmont. Johnson played on, not giving it another thought, winning by three after he was assessed one penalty shot in scoring. 'That Sunday was a little weird,' he said. Chaos would have been another word to describe it. That's not in Johnson's vocabulary even though it seems like it should be. Ask almost any PGA Tour loyalist which LIV player they miss seeing, and Johnson's name is at the top of the list. 'There have been two guys since 2010 that I thought in full flight, I loved watching them play. And it was Rory (McIlroy) and DJ,' Adam Scott said. Scott recalled a morning round at Riviera in the cool Pacific air. They were playing the 13th, which bends to the left around the eucalyptus trees. Scott hit a perfect draw. Johnson unloaded his high cut over the trees, a carry of nearly 310 yards in the heavy air. 'I just thought, 'That is insane.' Just the freedom he played with and the freedom of the swing and athleticism,' Scott said. 'And then he gets up and hit a three-finger 7-iron, super soft, a buttery shot after pounding one. Super impressive.' Those were the days. Those are the memories, all while Johnson is trying to believe he can create new ones. He is running out of time. And that's OK. When not on LIV — and not fishing — he is home with his two boys, Tatum and River. The latter was born on the Monday before Johnson's U.S. Open title defense at Erin Hills. He says he would have withdrawn if he wasn't the defending champion. He missed the cut. Back then, a missed cut at a major was rare. Now he is searching for a good week of driving, like he had at Oakmont in 2016. He is playing with Spieth, his longtime partner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Those were fun days. 'It's always good to play majors. It's the only time to see the other guys,' Johnson said. 'We've got a good group in LIV, but I don't get to see everybody. Hopefully, things will kind of come back together somehow.' Within six years? Johnson was asked if he could see himself on the PGA Tour Champions if it ever got sorted out. 'I've always said if I'm playing the Champions tour, something really, really went wrong," he said, breaking into a big smile before adding, 'But with me, there's always that chance.'

Dustin Johnson says he 'can grind for another six years' before stepping away
Dustin Johnson says he 'can grind for another six years' before stepping away

Fox Sports

timean hour ago

  • Fox Sports

Dustin Johnson says he 'can grind for another six years' before stepping away

Associated Press OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — So much about Dustin Johnson returning to Oakmont is about reliving past glory. He won his first major championship at the U.S. Open under extreme and bizarre conditions that allowed him to exorcise so many demons in the majors and become the best player in the world. That was nine years ago. The question now is how much golf he has left. 'I think I've got another six years in me,' Johnson said, contemplating the question only briefly before coming up with a most arbitrary number. 'I can grind for another six years. And then I'm going fishing.' Recent results would suggest he already has one line in the water. Johnson already has a Hall of Fame career with his 24 titles on the PGA Tour, two majors, the only player to sweep the World Golf Championships, one of only five players to have been No. 1 in the world for more than 100 weeks. He turns 41 in two weeks. Why grind? 'Because I want to get back,' he said. 'Because I know I've still got it.' Johnson was the biggest name to sign with Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022 when the golf world was turned upside down. He was on the fringe of contention that summer at St. Andrews and the next year in the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He won in each of the first three years on the rival circuit of short fields (54 players) and short weeks (54 holes). The last 16 months have made him feel like an afterthought. He has not finished among the top three on LIV in his last 20 events. He has missed the cut in five of his last seven majors. He tied for 10th last week on LIV, which he considered progress. 'I feel like my game's been really close," he said. 'I haven't really got a lot out of it. So it was definitely nice to have a nice finish last week. I played good every day. I didn't ... you know, still kind of giving away some shots. I need to clean that up a little bit." There is rarely any urgency to anything Johnson does, and that six-year window comes with a caveat. He has two more years left on his 10-year exemption from winning at Oakmont in 2016. Next month will be his last free pass to the British Open from his 2020 Masters victory. He needed a special invitation to the PGA Championship this year. Johnson has played only one non-major since joining LIV. That was the Saudi International at the end of last year. He missed the cut. Yes, Oakmont seems like a long time ago. Few players have endured more misfortune in the majors and have been able to shake it off. There was the 82 in the final round at Pebble Beach in the 2010 U.S. Open. He was knocked out of a playoff at Whistling Straits that year in the PGA Championship for setting his 4-iron into sand where spectators had been sitting. That was deemed to be a bunker. He had a 12-foot eagle putt to win the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, only for it to slide some 4 feet by on a green that had hardly any grass. He missed the birdie putt and finished one behind Jordan Spieth. His mental toughness is underrated. Imagine playing the last seven holes of a U.S. Open not knowing the score because the USGA was trying to decide whether to penalize him for a ball that moved on the fifth green of the final round at Oakmont. Johnson played on, not giving it another thought, winning by three after he was assessed one penalty shot in scoring. 'That Sunday was a little weird,' he said. Chaos would have been another word to describe it. That's not in Johnson's vocabulary even though it seems like it should be. Ask almost any PGA Tour loyalist which LIV player they miss seeing, and Johnson's name is at the top of the list. 'There have been two guys since 2010 that I thought in full flight, I loved watching them play. And it was Rory (McIlroy) and DJ,' Adam Scott said. Scott recalled a morning round at Riviera in the cool Pacific air. They were playing the 13th, which bends to the left around the eucalyptus trees. Scott hit a perfect draw. Johnson unloaded his high cut over the trees, a carry of nearly 310 yards in the heavy air. 'I just thought, 'That is insane.' Just the freedom he played with and the freedom of the swing and athleticism,' Scott said. 'And then he gets up and hit a three-finger 7-iron, super soft, a buttery shot after pounding one. Super impressive.' Those were the days. Those are the memories, all while Johnson is trying to believe he can create new ones. He is running out of time. And that's OK. When not on LIV — and not fishing — he is home with his two boys, Tatum and River. The latter was born on the Monday before Johnson's U.S. Open title defense at Erin Hills. He says he would have withdrawn if he wasn't the defending champion. He missed the cut. Back then, a missed cut at a major was rare. Now he is searching for a good week of driving, like he had at Oakmont in 2016. He is playing with Spieth, his longtime partner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Those were fun days. 'It's always good to play majors. It's the only time to see the other guys,' Johnson said. 'We've got a good group in LIV, but I don't get to see everybody. Hopefully, things will kind of come back together somehow.' Within six years? Johnson was asked if he could see himself on the PGA Tour Champions if it ever got sorted out. 'I've always said if I'm playing the Champions tour, something really, really went wrong," he said, breaking into a big smile before adding, 'But with me, there's always that chance.' ___ AP golf: in this topic

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store