Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is as frustrated as he’s ever been as a member of the Bears.
Things were supposed to go better this season.
“Expectations have been at the highest that it’s been since I’ve been in Chicago,” he said Tuesday night. “Just not meeting those expectations, for whatever reasons.
“Having so many tough losses in a single season is definitely tough. It weighs on you at times as a competitor because at the end of the day we all want to win. The heart-breaking losses that we’ve had week after week definitely weigh on you as a player.”
Thursday, Johnson had enough. As then-coach Matt Eberflus addressed the Bears after their 23-20 loss to the Lions, Johnson confronted him angrily in front of his teammates. Eberflus had held on to a timeout and watched as his offense let the clock run out, the latest end-of-game gaffe in the Bears’ seven-game losing streak.
Eberflus was fired the next day and replaced by interim head coach Thomas Brown, the team’s offensive coordinator the previous three weeks.
Tuesday, Johnson wasn’t ready to say that the Bears’ mistakes — from the Fail Mary in Washington to a blocked field goal against the rival Packers to Thursday’s loss — would automatically improve because they have a new man in charge for the next five games.
“We’re gonna see … ” said Johnson, who signed a four-year contract extension in March. “It’s based on what you do on game day. It’s easy to sound good and feel like things are gonna just change, but we’ll see on Sunday. …
“For us, we’re gonna give [Brown] the utmost respect and continue to push forward and gel together as a team.”
The Bears play the 49ers, who have lost three in a row, on Sunday.
Johnson said it’s been easy for him to compartmentalize his football frustrations while at Halas Hall and relax away from it.
“I’m clear-headed when I’m at home,” he said.
On “Giving Tuesday,” Johnson teamed with the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago to give 30 children from ages 8-10 a trip to Flyover at Navy Pier. On Flyover, riders sit in chairlift seats that simulate flying in front of a curved big screen.
Johnson mingled with kids and Santa Claus.
“It’s just about resetting and continuing to keep your mind in the right space,” he said, “and competing each Sunday.”