Why trust is slowly building as Ben Johnson aims to get the Bears offense in sync going into the third week of camp
Time is ticking.
The Chicago Bears offense under head coach Ben Johnson as had a frustrating rollercoaster experience throughout the first two weeks of training camp, which should still be expected.
Not every day of practice is going to be a resounding success for the unit.
Ups and downs happen all the time in camp. What can’t happen are continued mental mistakes that set the offense back, something we continue to see in Chicago heading into Week 3 of camp.
Late last week, Johnson used the word “disappointed” when discussing how his offense looked coming off a short practice. The next two days of practice, the offense responded in a big way stacking together two strong days. However, during Family Fest on Sunday, the mental errors returned for the unit practicing in front of the home crowd at Soldier Field.
“Sloppier than we were hoping we would be at this point,” Johnson said after practice. “We had a couple really good practices over the last two, and then (it) took us a little while to get going and hear the pads clicking. I thought toward the end we picked it up, and it got pretty competitive there.”
That “sloppiness” came from multiple mental errors such as not being properly aligned before the snap and a few delay of game penalties in live situational drills.
“It’s something we’re going to have to address for sure,” Johnson added. “It showed up more today than it has in practice. This was more like a real game, and if it continues like that, we’re not going to win many games.”
A bold message to send to the players, but urgency needs to start being shown. The Miami Dolphins will arrive to Chicago on Friday for a joint practice followed by a preseason game on Sunday. Johnson needs to know which players he can trust to do what’s expected on the field. Right now, he was only able to pinpoint four skill players who have been able to earn that trust.
“I think Cole Kmet, I think DJ Moore, I think Rome Odunze. Those are the three that stand out to me, first and foremost,” Johnson explained. “I think [Olamide Zaccheaus] is doing a great job of being where he’s supposed to be and he’s being a professional about it. The rookies, they’re still learning, they’re still growing, and they just haven’t been out there enough to earn that trust yet.”
By rookies, Johnson was referring to first-round tight end Colston Loveland and second-round wide receiver Luther Burden III. Both players missed time in the spring and early in camp due to individual injuries and while they’ve shown flashes, it’s clear both players are still behind.
One rookie who has continued to receive strong reviews for doing what’s expected in this offense has been seventh-round running back Kyle Monangai, even if he had a brief mental lapse during a botched handoff exchange on Sunday.
“I’m very pleased with where he’s at,” Johnson said of Monangai. “I think he’s a guy we’re gonna be able to trust this fall.”
Pressure is on and time is of the essence for everyone on the offensive side of the ball to start cleaning up these little mistakes. Chicago will have just three days of practice before the Dolphins arrive for the scheduled joint practice at the end of the week.
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