Before he became the Bears’ head coach this year, Ben Johnson spent the last six seasons as a Lions assistant. And he’s been telling his players what to expect when they play in Detroit on Sunday.
“They know what kind of hostile environment this is going to be,” Johnson said.
Johnson, who was the Lions’ offensive coordinator, said the Lions’ playmakers are going to be tough to deal with and will look faster on the field than they looked on tape.
“I think they have a couple players on that offense who are elite in this league,” Johnson said. “Until you’re out there — you see it on tape, but we’ve been talking about it all week.”
Johnson spoke specifically about the Lions’ running backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
“Speed. Elite speed. Probably the fastest in the NFL at his position,” Johnson said of Gibbs.
But Gibbs might not even be the Lions’ No. 1 running back.
“Montgomery is one of those guys who likes to set the tone, lower his shoulder, wants to be a spark, very dependable player, really can’t say enough good things,” Johnson said. “When you’ve got two backs like that who are complementary of each other, want each other to do well, it makes it really hard because there’s always a threat on the field, and they’re dabbling with having them both on the field at the same time, which makes it very challenging.”
It’s going to be a challenge for both the Lions and the Bears, as the loser is 0-2 and all alone in last place in the NFC North.
