It wasn’t just what Ryan Poles said in his opening presser as Chicago Bears general manager, but the moment immediately following his last word that stuck with me: “We’re going to take the North and never
give it back,” he said, followed by a flipping of the page as he continued his remarks.
In reality, it was likely a complete coincidence. But maybe not. Perhaps it was written that way intentionally for maximum effect. “We’re doing this, and that’s final. Period. End of paragraph. End of page.” As if the act of reclaiming the North for the foreseeable future and the need to turn the page on the past were inextricably linked.
It’s taken four seasons to achieve the first part of that goal. And quite frankly, I wasn’t convinced Poles deserved to see this latest one through after what felt like a botching of the Bears’ 2024 process and a stunting of Caleb Williams’ growth under a terrible head coach.
But sometimes, that ace in the hole you count on to win you the game really hits, and the Ben Johnson hire has proven unequivocally to be the best thing Poles has done outside of taking Williams No. 1 overall last year. In a franchise ruled by the memory of George Halas and Mike Ditka, the Bears have never had a coach quite like Johnson: a detail-oriented, analytical maniac with the raw competitive energy of a high school kid gunning for a state championship.
His mere presence has altered Chicago’s DNA: infusing an aggression, physicality, and flat-out refusal to fold some of us haven’t consistently seen from this team on our lifetimes. How many times have we watched a Chicago Bears team gag away a chance at the postseason or embarrass themselves on national television, turning one of the NFL’s charter franchises into a punchline? That pattern continued under Poles one year longer than it should have. But fate gave him a mulligan, and he used it wisely on Johnson.
In return, the Bears bet on Poles, giving him a contract extension instead of a pink slip this offseason. Fittingly, the franchise was rewarded with their first division title since 2018. Not just because of bringing in Johnson to bring Williams along but also the other crucial decisions he made: completely restructuring the offensive line aside from Darnell Wright, including bringing in the ultimate winner in Joe Thuney; infusing the offense with young talent like Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, and Kyle Monangai; and nabbing Nahshon Wright, the steal of free agency, for practically nothing.
11 wins later, including a heart-stopping, perhaps even franchise-changing victory over the Packers in Week 16, and Poles has delivered on the first part of his promise: giving Bears fans a team that could take the North.
The “never give it back” part will have to wait until next year and beyond, of course. Can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. The only question right now is…how far will this team go in January and beyond? Because I’ll tell you one thing they can do: win the whole damn thing.
All because Ryan Poles made a promise four years ago, and it’s finally being kept.
