“It’s no different than if you’re trying to lose weight,” Johnson said. ‘If you’re trying to lose 50 pounds, the first 30 is the easiest. The last 20, that’s the hard part. So we did a nice job this year, but it’s not enough. We have to do more.”
This season was a huge step forward for the Bears.
Also, this will never again be considered good enough.
Of all the ways coach Ben Johnson changed Halas Hall, raising the Bears’ standard for success has been the most impactful. While the team made a big jump from 5-12 last season to 11-6, an NFC North title and a spot in the divisional round of the playoffs, Johnson took the job a year ago eying much more than that.
Normally, that type of season would warrant a parade for the Bears, and while Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles did take a well-earned victory lap at their season-ending news conference Wednesday, the emphasis was on what they’ll do next.
“We have to dig a little bit deeper,” Johnson said. “We have to work a little bit harder. We have to give a little bit more if we want to take this thing over the top.
“It’s no different than if you’re trying to lose weight. If you’re trying to lose 50 pounds, the first 30 is the easiest. The last 20, that’s the hard part. So we did a nice job this year, but it’s not enough. We have to do more.”
That’s the way serious teams are run. They don’t settle for merely making the playoffs. In fact, they fire coaches and general managers if they make it only this far too many times in a row.
