Chicago Bears HC Ben Johnson accuses offense of ‘sabotaging’ practice

The problems this week with the Chicago Bears offense during the pre-snap aren’t just a problem for head coach Ben Johnson’s side of the ball; it can impede the work that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen needs to do with his group this summer.

The Bears are hoping that coaching can help the defensive line get after the passer better this season.

When speaking to reporters on Thursday, Johnson argued that the offense has been “sabotaging practice” at points in training camp, and that’s taking away opportunities for players like defensive end Austin Booker to develop this summer.

“We’ve been talking a lot about the techniques and fundamentals that we’re coaching on the defensive line,” Johnson said. “And we see that come to fruition now that we have the pads on. So, it’s the consistency of that play, the pad level, the hand usage, our defensive ends, they toggle between a 9 technique and a 6I. So, there are different techniques that go along with it.

“So, we need to see consistency of play in all of our edge players. That’s what we’re working through right now. That’s where these padded practices are so, so valuable, and that’s why I get upset when the offense is sabotaging practice a little bit, because our defensive players need these reps as much as anybody else.”

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On Wednesday, Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor was critical of quarterback Caleb Williams’ communication in and out of the huddle this week. Johnson thought the offense made too many mistakes that started to accumulate, though he noted those things happen this time of year.

“Probably normal with the volume [of plays] continuing to increase, yet it’s not OK for us and we’re going to nip that in the bud,” Johnson said, via the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Bears need its defense to gain as many reps as possible in training camp. Amid injuries to the secondary, many new players will need some experience before Week 1.

The defensive line was already somewhat of a lost cause before training camp. But if the offense can’t get on the same page to get the ball snapped, the floor for the front seven could be even lower.

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