How Ben Johnson overcomes the head coach inexperience issue

"I think their guys are ready to play and compete every day that we go out there."

Wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, secondary coach Al Harris, offensive line coach Dan Roushar, linebackers coach Richard Smith and running backs coach Eric Bieniemy have all had success handling their groups elsewhere, and then there is Dennis Allen.

It is Allen who has become a Johnson crutch of sorts, one he called "invaluable." Johnson's inexperience with the defensive side is a gap in his own background, but most coordinators who become head coaches for the first time bring this deficiency to their job.

Dennis Allen sounding board

Not every head coach with inexperience has the benefit of a former NFL head coach who is coming out of a second three-year stint as an NFL coach. Johnson shared some of the advice he got from Allen.

“It was a great point this morning," Johnson said. "I came in and he said, when you're in that seat, you have to come in to work every morning and say, 'there's going to be four or five things that come across my desk that I wasn't anticipating.'

"If you think that it's going to be smooth sailing, you're going to be disappointed, but if you come in with that expectation, then you'll be just fine."

Johnson's offense has found Allen's defense a formidable opponent at practice and it's another way he appreciates what his defensive coordinator brings to the staff.
"So, with him in particular, I think the defense has had the upper hand on the offense for the most part of camp," Johnson said. "I think he's a guy that's not going to show any mercy. He's keeping his foot on the pedal and wants to keep on installing and bringing the noise.

"I appreciate that his mentality is rubbing off on our players, certainly on the defensive side."

The decision process

One example of a non-game issue they face is simply trying to determine how much actual hitting to have in practices. There are limits allowed by the CBA, of course, but when to do it and the form it takes must be decided.

"I think every single one of those decisions that you make as a head coach, there's a lot of variables that go into it," Allen said. "I'm appreciative of the fact that we had a live period (earlier this week). That's the way the game's played.

"There's going to be blocking, tackling, those are all elements that we've got to be able to execute."

In the end, though, it's not Allen standing in the spotlight now for the big decisions.

Johnson has to rely on his own decision making. He relayed how the sausage is being made, so to speak. Halas Hall is not operating like a dictatorship but more like a successful corporation.

“We meet as a staff every night and we go over what we're looking to do, not just the next day, but also big picture view so we're all on the same page," Johnson said. "I like to take their thoughts.

"I told that staff when we came back from the summer that I need a bunch of truth tellers around me. I need guys that aren't going to tell me what I want to hear, but are going to tell me how they see it. Then, at the end of the day, I'll be able to assess the information and make a decision and we'll go with it. That's been the course so far.”

All of this is interesting and in many ways reassuring, but the real decisions come on a 120-yard field and the Bears haven't played a game, preseason or regular.

Knowing they have an organized way of addressing issues generates optimism but getting it done quickly and efficiently once the season kicks off will be more telling about the Johnson coaching experience.