Bears coach Ben Johnson self-scouts: He’s tweaking his ‘time management’ to focus on defense
PHOENIX — It’s late March, the NFL draft is fast approaching, and Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson is trying to make up for lost time. He’s got a demanding trio who are holding him accountable. “I’m trying to win that Father of the Year Award still, even though I miss half the year (coaching),” Johnson told the Chicago Tribune during the NFL annual meetings Monday.
“I’ve gone to a few of my son’s (6-year-old Kennedy’s) basketball games, excited for baseball to start up for him soon. Doing math homework with my daughter (Emory, age 9). We just potty-trained my youngest (Halle, age 2 1/2).
So there’s a lot going on in our family life right now that takes a lot of attention. ” “There are a lot of sacrifices that you have to make in this profession if you want to be at the top of your game,” he said. “Fortunately, I married a good one (Jessica) who understands that.
We were together for a long time before we got married, and so she knew what the NFL world was going to look like. And she does a great job holding everything together for us. ” Similarly, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen held everything together for Johnson while he focused on the overall duties of a first-time head coach.
But like at home, Johnson feels the need to make up for missed time at the office. When asked where he thinks he fell short last season — despite an 11-6 campaign and a wild-card playoff win against the Green Bay Packers — “the first thing that comes to mind is time management, the allocation of it,” he said. Johnson said he spent so much time installing a new offense and teaching the scheme that it drew his attention away from defense and special teams.
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