Bear Digest

Bearing Witness to Ben Johnson's Offensive Ingenuity

Analysis: The fake fumble and TD pass to Sam LaPorta came from the creative mind of potential Bears coaching candidate Ben Johnson, a sort of living resume they can consider.

Gene Chamberlain

Ben Johnson wears the Lions logo at Soldier Field but maybe the next time he's there he'll wear the logo on the wall to his left in the background.
Ben Johnson wears the Lions logo at Soldier Field but maybe the next time he's there he'll wear the logo on the wall to his left in the background. / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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The Bears fell for trickery Sunday and in this regard only underscored why Ben Johnson will go into the offseason at the top of everyone's list to interview for the head coaching job.

Detroit's trick play–the fake fumble and Jared Goff's deep throw to Sam LaPorta for a 21-yard touchdown–was all from the creative mind of Detroit's offensive coordinator.

"Listen, Ben, that was one of his brain childs," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "It started that way, and then we massaged it and worked it: 'How do we make this thing better?'

"And then just Goff and (RB Jahmyr Gibbs) Gibby and LaPorta and the O-line making it work. We cooked it all week, and they did a heck of a job. They really did."

Goff threw a fake toss to Gibbs, who acted like he didn't have it and was looking to dive at the ground. The linemen had their part by all yelling fumble. All the while, Goff still had the ball and LaPorta was running behind Jonathan Owens in the end zone as an easy target.

Tom foolery for the fools–the Bears got beat deep by the play.

“We did work on it all week," Goff said. "We ran it probably three or four times through the week. The genesis was that's a good play for that (Bears defensive) scheme.

"It is, but they were in tune with it on defense, that that is a good play, and it's hard to get that on them because those linebackers are so danged good at seeing it develop."

No one was good at seeing it Sunday, but it was actually revised from what Johnson came up with because what he wanted proved to be too daring.

"At first it started on Monday with Ben asking me if he thought I could actually fumble on purpose and pick it back up," Goff said. "I said, 'I don't know about that.' We kind of got off that pretty quickly, and we were just like, let's just pretend we're falling or pretend I'm fumbling, but I'm holding on to the ball.

"I think that part where Gibbs, where he dives really sells the play. I'm only doing half of it. It worked like a charm, and it was nice to score there."

It wasn't like they needed it, leading 27-14 at the time. However, there were still 12:18 left in the third quarter and the Bears made noises just before the half. The Lions had seen this act before from the Bears offense on Thanksgiving, where the offense came out DOA and then revived behind Caleb Williams' arm. So the 34-14 lead was appreciated.

Slow starts, it seems, are not a problem with Johnson's offense like they are for the Bears, who have 20 points on the year in first quarters. Johnson's team had 13 in the first quarter Sunday alone.

Perhaps the Bears will get to experience this type of breathtaking offense in the future after the Lions' season is done, if they talk with Johnson about their coaching job.

“We've got our first opener plays," Goff said. "It doesn't mean we're always going to stick to them, but we've got plays that we want to get off the sheet pretty early that we're intent on, and I think he (Johnson) does a good job of setting up plays later on by doing that.

"He's very aware of how to start fast, that we want to start fast. I thought we did start fast today. I thought our first half was really good. I thought our second half was sub-par. Myself personally I thought was sub-par in the second half. I think we were able to overcome."

It all sounds like fun and the Bears definitely haven't had much of this with their current offense.

"I think there is fun in focus," Campbell said. "There is fun in focus when it turns to those type of plays having success, when you score and you win.

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"I think that's kind of the environment that you foster. Ultimately, we want our guys to be challenged. We want them accountable. We want them to have fun. We want them to have ownership and investment, man. We're all a part of this, and I think that's huge. I think our guys get that. Really, to me, to have a healthy group of guys, a healthy team, you need every emotion involved. Everything needs to be involved to get the whole person and the whole player."

As opposed to having no one involved and the ball going nowhere in the early part of games, which is the way the Bears have done it all year regardless of who called the plays or was the head coach.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.