Chicago Bears fundamental supervisor Ryan Poles said he was “shocked” working once more Roschon Johnson was nonetheless on the board when the Bears drafted him throughout the fourth spherical remaining month. The Bears contemplate they’re bringing in a participant who may assist them in some methods on and off the sector.
Texas working backs coach Tashard Alternative observed all of the strategies Johnson can affect a crew as a result of the senior totaled 93 carries for 554 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2022 as a result of the backup to Bijan Robinson — the No. 8 determine throughout the draft.
Alternative spoke simply these days to the Tribune about what sort of participant and chief Johnson may very well be for the Bears. Right here’s that interview, edited for readability.
Notice: This is part of a group of conversations with the school place coaches of this yr’s Bears draft picks.
How would you describe Roschon as a participant?
Roschon is an old-school, outdated type, rough-and-tough soccer participant. Only a skilled in all the options of the game.
We have now heard fairly a bit from the Bears about his administration. What can you inform us about how he confirmed that?
Ro leads by … I don’t want to say just by occasion. He works extra sturdy than anybody on the soccer crew, nevertheless he’s additionally a voice throughout the locker room that people respect. He’s under no circumstances overbearing. He under no circumstances speaks misplaced. His accountability, his administration, he does all of the little points to confirm the crew wins. And he’s a team-first man. Earlier than he grew to change into a frontrunner, he was an incredible teammate, and that’s what makes Ro excel on this perform.
How did he cope with having fun with a backup perform to Robinson?
Bijan is perhaps among the many greatest working backs that I’ve seen athletically, talent-wise. However for Ro to be a selfless dude who, if he was on one different crew, he’s perhaps carrying the ball 20-25 events. Even though Bijan was the all-star participant throughout the room, Ro was our chief in our room. He was the dawg throughout the room. Quite a few events Bijan was carrying the soccer, Ro was blocking for him. And he was a core specific teams man as correctly.
I really contemplate he revered Bijan lots because of B labored onerous. If Bijan didn’t work onerous, Ro would have had a problem with it. However since he did, Ro was OK with having fun with alongside those that had been constructed with one of the best stuff like him.
How has Roschon’s background as a quarterback helped him?
So far as determining the game, it helped him because of he wanted to grasp defenses. While you’re a quarterback, it’s a should to ensure that all 10 are set. We did quite a lot of stuff in wildcat, which he was pure doing because of he did it fairly a bit in highschool. However for Ro, his growth, his progress of being a higher working once more, I consider he elevated that because of there’s a distinction between working the ball like he did from the quarterback place and working the ball like a working once more. He modified that, which was really good.
The Bears talked about being creative with him on offense. Is that one factor you had been able to do with him?
Him having fun with throughout the wildcat, that always presents the offense (selections). Plus the precise reality he can actually throw the soccer, that will help. The yr sooner than I obtained there, he carried out in direction of Okay-State and our quarterbacks had been down, and Ro wanted to play your entire sport as a result of the wildcat quarterback. We acquired, so that merely tells you.
However I consider what they meant by that’s we did quite a lot of stuff out of 20 personnel, which means we had two backs throughout the sport, him and Bijan on the equivalent time. Him with the flexibility to run routes, with the flexibility to dam, with the flexibility to do all of the little points and run the soccer as correctly — because of he may very well be a heck of a working once more. I don’t want people to miss he can tote the rock. He’s able to be on the soccer space, so now you’ve received your best 11 on the soccer space, even when it’s two working backs.
You talked about his blocking. How is he as a blocker?
Unbelievable. He runs by way of people’s faces, and he’s going to allow you to perceive about it. And he’s going to do it many times. He doesn’t shrink again from contact. While you see kids which is perhaps constructed like that, you perceive it’s going to translate correctly to the NFL because of that’s what the league is all about — alpha canines.
What’s your favorite second of his on the sector?
There are a pair. I’ve obtained some performs on tape the place he’s blocking and he’s fully mauling of us available on the market and he’s doing it many times. It’s the Okay-State sport, the Baylor sport. You possibly can see him mauling of us. And he had some runs this yr I assumed had been fully brutal. He ran over the linebacker from Oklahoma and he received right here once more and hit the safety as soon as extra on a run in direction of Oklahoma. And you might probably see his brute drive, having fun with collectively together with his participant temperament. He was the hammer not the nail that day. You may see it. He was working the soccer on a singular diploma.
Do you’ve received a favorite second of his off the sector by means of his administration?
Off the sector … Ro is a well being membership rat. Once we had conferences and I wanted to go over blitz pickup and get the backs some additional film to take a look at, I favored the precise reality Ro was the one which was always principal that. If he had questions, so he made sure he knew learn the way to translate it to the alternative working backs, he was able to ask, “Hey, Coach, what about this? What about this?”
He’s eager for information, so the more and more extra he’s throughout the system, he must know each little factor. He must know the how and the why. He’s not a baby chances are you’ll inform him one factor and he merely says OK. He must know why. Why are we doing this? How? What’s the reason for this? As a result of that’s in the long run how he’ll get himself greater. He must know your entire, not merely his half. And I assume that’s one in all many points that has helped him tremendously.
What was the draft like for you as a coach with Robinson going No. 8; Jahmyr Gibbs, whom you coached at Georgia Tech, going No. 12; and Roschon going throughout the fourth spherical?
Unbelievable. When I was drafted (throughout the fourth spherical in 2008), I was excited nevertheless it was additional like I was pissed off as a result of place I was drafted. Now let’s go to work because of I knew I had quite a lot of work in entrance of me. Type of the best way you observed Ro when he was drafted. I contemplate Ro believes he’s greater than the place he obtained drafted, nevertheless since he’s throughout the door, he’s about to roll.
For me, seeing these guys attain their objectives and turn into the players they wanted to turn into and attain the NFL, it’s an precise feeling of gratitude. I’m grateful for these guys because of they’re good kids. To see them excel, to see them do one of the best points because of they’re good on and off the sector … it’s unbelievable.
For the reason that Bears will face Gibbs with the Detroit Lions twice a yr now, what sort of participant are they going up in direction of?
Electrical. He loves ball. He’s a big-time participant every time he’ll get the ball in his fingers. I can’t say adequate good points about him. I’ve obtained quite a lot of respect for Gibbs as a result of place he comes from. For him to get so far and be a first-round working once more, that speaks volumes about him.
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