Doctor Faustus, a 16th-century tragedy by playwright Christopher Marlowe, tells the story of a brilliant but restless scholar who grows dissatisfied with the limits of traditional knowledge. Faustus, hungry for something more, strikes a bargain with the devil. In exchange for his soul, Faustus will enjoy 24 years of unlimited power and pleasure, aided by the demon Mephistopheles.
In the beginning, Faustus has fun flaunting his newfound abilities by conjuring spirits, performing tricks, and impressing
nobles with his powers. But as the years pass, he wastes his gifts on silly parlor tricks rather than pursuing deeper wisdom, lasting achievement, or committing to seeing through the things he had wanted to do prior to cutting his deal. When the time runs out on his 24-year contract, Faustus is overcome with despair, realizing too late that his unchecked ambition has doomed him.
The story reminds us that ambition, when unfocused, leads to mediocrity—and ultimately, ruin. Decisions and deals have consequences. It’s a warning that echoes in the high-stakes world of NFL coaching, and one that the Chicago Bears and their first-year head coach, Ben Johnson, should keep in mind if they want to turn things around.
Sidebar: The downfall of the Detroit Lions was greatly exaggerated. John Morton’s offense was stymied shut down and all it took was one Micah Parsons to do it. Kelvin Sheppard got too cute with his coverage calls, dropping his best pass rushers into zones instead of getting after Jordan Love. It caused widespread panic and concern for what felt like the longest seven days of my football-watching life.
The offensive line was considered a mess beyond repair. Jared Goff was nothing more than a Checkdown Charlie without the tutelage of Ben Johnson or Sean McVay. The Detroit Lions had fallen victim to a Brain Drain, and the mass exodus of coordinators left behind just the neanderthal of a head coach.
The Lions responded by beating the Bears, 52-21. Morton helped orchestrate a day on offense that set the game-high mark for yards per play (8.8) in the franchise’s history. Sheppard’s defense forced two turnovers—had another one overturned for Brian Branch hitting Caleb Williams with the Five-Star Frog Splash—and 4.0 sacks helped keep Detroit in firm control of this game from nearly start to finish.
Sure seems like Campbell has a plan, or the alternative is he must have just stumbled his way into hiring/promoting another couple of brilliant football minds. We’ll see how it plays out.
But for Ben Johnson, maybe being a head coach isn’t all it’s cut out to be. If the goal in Detroit was to win a Super Bowl, what changed between the end of 2023 and 2024? Did ambition get in the way? Maybe it wasn’t worth shaking hands and making a deal with Ryan Poles to become the head coach of a team that thinks they have a franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams.
After going 0-2 on fourth down, maybe it was a difference in talent between two football teams, but maybe that part of Campbell’s DNA—the conviction he has in his players—maybe that matters too. Maybe that’s part of what makes him who he is as a coach. There was always the concern of Johnson having to shake the “mad-scientist” moniker and establish his identity as a head coach. It’s an entirely different job, something the last “rocket scientist” to coach in the division couldn’t quite figure out because he couldn’t command a locker room the way his former superior did in New England.
It’s not too late for Johnson and the Bears to turn things around, obviously. It’s been two weeks. But last season, Williams was entering one of the best situations ever for a rookie quarterback—and then his head coach was fired after Thanksgiving. This season, there was no more perfect coach to take over the Bears than the offensive mastermind who singlehandedly reanimated and resurrected Goff’s career. For Williams, it looks like Johnson and his bag of tricks aren’t going to be the fast-acting elixir to success.
Johnson landed his current gig with a reputation as one of the NFL’s brightest young minds, but all of the exotic play designs and scripted trick plays won’t last if it isn’t built on a sustainable identity. It took years of patience and drafting talent for the Lions to establish themself as a team that wants to win by running the ball and defending the run.
Do the Bears have patience for a fifth year of Poles (currently 15-38) making the roster decisions if this team doesn’t take a step forward this year? If the team moves on from Poles, would it be a prerequisite for the next GM to believe in Williams?
Johnson could have compromised the best version of his football-self for the ambition provided by those in Halas Hall. Hopefully, his deal lasts longer than 24 games.
