Ryan Poles’ Research Into Ben Johnson Was Crazier Than We Thought

The Chicago Bears met with 17 candidates for their head coaching position over the course of two weeks. GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren wanted to make sure they collected as much information as possible, getting a sense of their options while also seeing how others view the organization. However, Poles made it clear from the outset that his sights were set on one man: Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He knew this around Christmas time in December.

That was largely thanks to a ludicrous amount of research the Bears GM had done. Johnson’s agent, Rick Smith, revealed as much during a conversation with Bill Zimmerman on the Bears Banter podcast. It became clear right away once Johnson spoke with the team that Poles had done his homework. Smith claims he dug far into the coach’s background, from his playing days at North Carolina to his graduate assistant roots at Boston College.

Ryan Poles approached Johnson as if he were drafting a quarterback.

Everybody knows when you plan to take one, an enormous amount of research is put into it because of how vital that position is to get right. Ryan Poles was relentless in his evaluation of Caleb Williams for months once it became clear the Bears were getting the #1 pick. It appears after the slacking approach to how Matt Eberflus was hired three years ago; there were no plans to make the same mistake this time. Poles needed every detail he could scrounge before making the best-informed decision he could. Once the two seemed to click in their interview, everything came together. It was easily the most celebrated hiring by Bears fans in many years. If it works out as hoped, Poles will go down as one of the great folk heroes in Chicago sports history.