Everyone associated with the Chicago Bears was very fired up on Wednesday as Ben Johnson embarked on his first day at the office. Including Johnson himself. The wunderkind offensive coordinator went out of his way to mention Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur during his introductory press conference, saying he enjoyed beating him twice a year. Which he'll continue to have the opportunity to do as he's joining the Packers' most hated rival.
“To be quite frank with you, I kinda enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year.”
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) January 22, 2025
BEN JOHNSON COMIN’ IN HOT pic.twitter.com/vBxiEriFRk
Johnson beat LaFleur twice in back-to-back years when he was scheming up Dan Campbell's offensive attack. It's a clever line that's as close to funny as a coach is allowed to be. It's also a strange thing to do considering the two coaches don't have any shared history.
Peter Schrager dove into the topic on Good Morning Football on Thursday morning.
"Ben Johnson went out of his way to say Matt LaFleur's name in his introductory press conference. You'd think they are old friends or have at least crossed paths somewhere or have some coaching connection. Guess what? They're not pals. They don't have any history together. This… pic.twitter.com/dUEn6XIzvv
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) January 23, 2025
"Matt LaFleur does not know Ben Johnson, Ben Johnson does not know Matt LaFleur," Schrager said. "He called his name out in a press conference at his opening coach address, meaning that's forever. He'll always have that moment."
Was this a bold choice? Was it funny? Did it show a lot of hubris? Yes to all of those questions.
Much will be made of it. Johnson will look like a genius and a hero or a real fool based on results. But at the end of the day it's the results that really matter—not one coach saying another coach's name—for everyone involved.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Insider Reveals Why Ben Johnson's Matt LaFleur Comment Wasn't a Friendly Jab.
