“This Is What Real Coaching Looks Like” — Strahan’s Bold Ben Johnson Take Lights Up the NFL

The NFL world loves a comeback story. But this season, the most unexpected resurgence doesn’t belong to a player—it belongs to a coach.

During a FOX NFL Sunday broadcast, Hall of Famer Michael Strahan dropped a statement that instantly became one of the loudest talking points of the 2025 season:

“Ben Johnson deserves Coach of the Year, and it’s not even close.”

He didn’t stop there.

Strahan framed Johnson’s impact in a way rarely heard on national TV: not just wins, but transformation.

“What he’s done in Chicago isn’t just winning games,” Strahan said. “It’s changing lives, changing mindsets, changing an entire franchise.”

A thunderous claim. A dangerous endorsement. And one the NFL community can’t stop debating.

From Punchline to Playoff Picture

Let’s rewind. Not long ago, the Chicago Bears were the NFC North’s most reliable disappointment. A franchise cycling through head coaches, failed rebuilds, and wasted potential. A place where careers stalled, morale tanked, and Sundays felt scripted in the worst way.

This is the team Strahan once described—without sugarcoating—as a cultureless roster stuck in permanent reboot mode.

And yet, under Ben Johnson in 2025?

• The players look reborn

• The playbook looks reinvented

• The franchise looks dangerous again

Is it perfect? No.

Is it historically fast progress? According to Strahan—absolutely.

“I’ve seen bad teams turn good,” he said. “But I’ve rarely seen a franchise transformation happen this fast.”

The X’s, the O’s, and the Identity Overhaul

So what did Johnson actually change? Strahan broke it down into themes fans could feel instantly, even without reading the stat sheet.

1. He Weaponized Justin Fields

The football world was ready to move on from Fields. Many had already labeled him a draft-day misfire. But Johnson built an offense that finally made Fields a threat instead of a question mark.

Designed runs that actually matter. Deep shots that look intentional. Improvisation that feels supported instead of punished.

Suddenly, Fields isn’t surviving games—he’s dictating them.

2. He Made Accountability Cool Again

No more vague standards. No more PR leadership. Johnson reportedly set the tone early:

Buy in. Or pack up.

No theatrics. No slogans. Just consequences and consistency. The locker room energy went from fragmented to ferociously unified.

That shift doesn’t show up in passing yards. It shows up in body language.

And as Strahan put it: “You can see it in their eyes now.”

3. He Turned Home Turf Into Psychological Warfare

The stadium—nicknamed by fans as “Soldiers Hill”—went from neutral ground to a battleground advantage. Visiting teams now expect discomfort. Bears players expect victory.

That kind of home-field flip doesn’t happen from new paint in the end zone.

It happens from belief installed by coaching.

4. He Won the Halftime, Every Time

Halftime adjustments. Clock control. Play sequencing. Strahan claims Johnson has been outthinking opponents with surgical precision, running schemes that leave veteran defensive coordinators guessing.

“Great coaching doesn’t happen by accident,” Strahan said. “That’s coaching.”

Strahan Doesn’t Hand Out Praise — He Measures It

Michael Strahan isn’t a reactionary voice. He’s a Super Bowl champion who played under Tom Coughlin, one of the most respected culture architects in NFL history.

So when Strahan gives Johnson the Coach of the Year crown before ballots are even printed, it doesn’t feel casual.

It feels diagnostic.

“Ben Johnson didn’t just fix the Bears,” he said. “He rebuilt them from the foundation up.”

The Coach of the Year Debate Just Got Real

There are other coaches posting impressive records this season. Coaches with deeper playoff histories, louder fanbases, shinier offenses, and bigger markets.

But as Strahan argued:

None inherited a collapse and turned it into conviction this fast.

None flipped doubt into identity. None flipped a franchise narrative from embarrassment to expectation.

And that’s why this endorsement hits differently.

Not because it’s loud—but because it feels earned, uncomfortable, and impossible to ignore.

Your Turn, NFL Fans:

Do you agree with Michael Strahan?
Is Ben Johnson the Coach of the Year, or does someone else deserve that title more?
How does this Bears turnaround stack up against the fastest coaching transformations you’ve ever seen?

Drop your take below—the debate is open, and Chicago is no longer the punchline. 🏈🔥