Bare-Chested and Fired Up, Ben Johnson Ignites the Bears Locker Room After Their Statement Win Over the Eagles. DH
A shirt-ripping kind of win.
Could the Bears be … for real? It’s starting to feel like that, especially after they handily took down the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles in a strong road win at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday. With the statement dub, Chicago keeps its first-place crown in the competitive NFC North and improves its playoff chances to 79%, per the NFL’s playoff predictor.
After the game, first-year coach Ben Johnson performed one of his electrifying locker room hype speeches—now-weekly rituals that leave you wondering how he has a voice afterward—but he added a funny twist to the moment when he ripped off his shirt … in what seemed to be a first for the team.
Indeed, as Johnson pulled his shirt over his head, the players around him erupted in excited cheers and screams before the bare-chested coach took the group through his usual “good, better, best” rallying cry, just … less dressed-up than usual.
Watch that funny moment below:
In a fun twist, though, it is possible that Johnson was actually calling in a favor for his city by removing the extra layer.
The Weiners Circle, a hot dog stand on Chicago’s north side, promised free hot dogs for everyone if Johnson took off his shirt in a locker room speech (they pulled a similar stunt for Caleb Williams earlier this season). So perhaps that had something to do with the coach’s confidence on Friday.
“He did take his shirt off,” Williams told reporters later, with a smile on his face. “He’s a man of the people, let’s say that.”
Johnson came to Chicago by way of Detroit, where he studied under the team-building strategies of Dan Campbell and dazzled as an innovative play caller for the new-look Lions. And while he certainly brought his offensive mind to Halas Hall, Friday’s postgame victory speech makes clear that—in case you had any doubt—his leadership acumen and respect among players remain top-notch.
It finally feels like the Ben Johnson Bears are starting to arrive. And in that case, hot dogs for everyone.
