Coaching Concerns Over Penalties
Coach Ben Johnson expressed frustration with the Bears’ four penalties of 15 yards during Saturday’s game, labeling all of them, except for the hit that caused Packers quarterback Jordan Love to be concussed, as inexcusable.
Linebacker D’Marco Jackson received an unnecessary roughness penalty on the opening kickoff. Defensive end Austin Booker was penalized for roughing the passer twice: once in the first quarter and again in the second quarter for striking Love’s helmet, which resulted in Love leaving the game. Johnson defended Booker, stating the hit was unintentional.
In the fourth quarter, safety Jaquan Brisker was also flagged for unnecessary roughness when he hit a sliding Malik Willis with his forearm.
“In these high-stake rivalries, emotions can run high and players want to make a significant impact,” Johnson mentioned. “We aim to play aggressively and physically, but we can’t compromise the team’s success, which happened multiple times. Such penalties accumulate and can’t be tolerated.”
While stating that no one wants to see Love concussed, Johnson defended Booker, who may face a fine for the hit. “Coaching that specific move is challenging due to the quick tempo of the game,” he explained. “The other penalties, however, are entirely preventable and often egregious. We cannot allow those.”
The Bears incurred a total of 10 penalties costing them 105 yards, whereas the Packers only had four penalties for 40 yards.
Pro Bowl Update
The NFL will reveal the Pro Bowl Games picks at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, with strong expectations for several Bears following enthusiastic fan voting. Ten Bears topped their respective positions in the fan voting, which contributes one-third of the overall vote: center Drew Dalman, guard Joe Thuney, offensive tackle Darnell Wright, running back D’Andre Swift, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, cornerback Nahshon Wright, strong safety Jaquan Brisker, free safety Kevin Byard III, punter Tory Taylor, and return specialist Devin Duvernay.
This year’s Pro Bowl Games will feature a flag-football match between the AFC and NFC on February 3 at the Moscone Center South Building in San Francisco, coinciding with Super Bowl week. The Super Bowl will occur five days later in Santa Clara, California.
