‘It’s exciting’: Coach Dave Wannstedt reacts to new Bears head coach – Marquee Sports Network
Coach Dave Wannstedt, now a Marquee Sports Network analyst, was giddy Monday after news that the Bears are hiring Ben Johnson dropped.“It’s exciting,” the former Bears head coach said on a special breaking news show on Marquee. “Anytime that you can get a head coach that really checks most of the boxes from a fan’s perspective, from a team’s perspective that we were looking for, it’s exciting news.“You got to give [general manager] Ryan Poles credit for how he maneuvered this the last few days.”Just two days after the Lions were eliminated from the playoffs in the NFC divisional round, the Bears pounced on Detroit’s offensive coordinator to be their next head coach.Johnson turned the Lions into the NFL’s offensive standard, as they averaged 28.2 points per game — the best mark in football in his third years in Detroit.[Report: Ben Johnson eyeing ex-NFL head coach as Bears’ D-coordinator]He did so on the back of a balanced attack. His offense ranked second in passing yards the last two seasons and sixth in rushing yards in 2024 and fifth in 2023.“We’ve been talking about this all year — hey, we got to be able to run the ball,” Wannstedt said. “Hey, Ben Johnson runs the ball.”Still, the jump from coordinator to head coach isn’t simple, even for someone as talented as Johnson. And Wannstedt remembered advice he received from Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll when he was named Bears head coach: Remember why you were hired.And in Johnson’s case, that’s his offensive prowess.“Let’s get this offense [going],” Wannstedt said. “Let’s get a system that’s going to get our offensive team and Caleb [Williams] a chance to be successful. The rest of it will come, but we don’t need to do it overnight.“It’s an exciting time to be a Bears fan.”Sign up for the Marquee Sports Network Newsletter today for all the latest Cubs news, plus upcoming Marquee programming and much more!
