And it's gone: Ben Johnson's Packers jab at Bears press conference doesn't land

The Chicago Bears got their man earlier this week, hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the team's head coach. The team cast an awfully wide net in its coaching search, but it didn't take long for Johnson to emerge as its first choice: He's an excellent offensive mind to pair with embattled young quarterback Caleb Williams, and years spent under Dan Campbell in Detroit hopefully gave him a good example to follow when it comes to leading an organization.

Johnson held his introductory press conference in Chicago on Wednesday, a big moment for any head coach — but especially a first-time head coach taking the reins in one of the toughest markets in the country. So it's understandable that Johnson wanted to find an easy win with his new fan base. Unfortunately, though, the way he chose to do that shows that he still has a bit of learning left to do.

Ben Johnson gets off on the wrong foot with jab at Packers head coach Matt LaFleur

Job No. 1 for Johnson will be the development of Williams, hoping to do the same thing for the former No. 1 overall pick that he did for Jared Goff in Detroit. But anyone who accepts the Bears job does so with a mandate: No matter what, you have to beat the Green Bay Packers, something the franchise has done just four times in their last 30 meetings dating back to 2011.

Johnson, by contrast, helped beat the Packers four times in the last 12 months. And that record had him feeling bold enough to start off his Bears tenure by chirping at his new counterpart, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur.

It's only natural for Johnson to try and win his introductory press conference, both to earn some good will among fans and to help set the foundation for the culture he wants to build in Chicago. But still — is this really the tack you want to take?

For starters, Johnson didn't beat Matt LaFleur twice a year; Campbell, Aaron Glenn and the Lions did, and Johnson hasn't earned the right to start taking full credit for those wins until he does it as a head coach. There's a whole lot more that goes into running a successful NFL team than just drawing up some cool plays. And beyond that, chirping like this considering [gestures at recent Bears history] takes a ton of confidence, bordering on hubris.

Many men have taken this job believing that they had what it takes to finally build a winner in Chicago, and all of them have left as failures, often after just two or three years. Johnson could very well be a smashing success as a head coach, and it's hard to find fault with the Bears' process here. But while Bears fans may get a cheap thrill hearing their new leader throw some shade at a hated rival, the reality is that LaFleur has done a whole lot more than Johnson has at this point in their respective careers.