Jaylon Johnson Openly Explains How Ben Johnson Is Better Than Eberflus

Nobody was more skeptical of Ben Johnson when the Chicago Bears hired him than Jaylon Johnson. You can understand why. The star cornerback has endured nothing but losing in his NFL career. He arrived in 2020 when the team finished 8-8, and that was the best record they’ve had since. He watched the decline of Matt Nagy and the slow implosion of Matt Eberflus. He’s heard all the speeches and assurances. There was no reason for him to think Johnson would be any different.

Fast-forward a few months, and his tune seems to have changed. Jaylon appeared on Night Cap with former NFL stars Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson. He was asked to describe what, if anything, impressed him about the new head coach.

There isn’t much dancing around those comments. They are a direct shot at Eberflus. The former Bears coach tended to use similar buzz words over and over, like “execute” or “time on task.” That is coach speak. Players nod along but don’t often grasp what is being said. Johnson can communicate at a more personable level, which makes it easier to grab their attention.

Jaylon Johnson can finally understand the message.

He had an idea of what Nagy and Eberflus wanted when they were in charge. The issue was that neither of them seemed able to convey their message clearly. Both relied on similar terminology, failing to grasp that players speak a different language in many ways. Ben Johnson doesn’t have that problem. His intelligence and outgoing personality have enabled him to learn how players communicate. This has helped him adjust his vocabulary in recent years so that they always understand what he wants from them. Being able to do this while also establishing a clear sense of hierarchy is a gift many head coaches don’t have. Jaylon Johnson can already sense it. He’s a smart guy, too. While he may not express excitement as openly as others, even he seems eager to see how this season unfolds.

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