JUST IN:Jaylon Johnson sends stern message to Bears fans buying into offseason hype
I guess the Bears aren’t back just yet.
Jaylon Johnson’s already one of the longest-tenured guys on the Bears’ roster, and you can tell.
Johnson, who’s been a mainstay through some lean seasons in Chicago over the past few years, knows that the Bears do some of their best work in the offseason. It’s something of an annual tradition in Chicago. They are habitually in the running for offseason champion, which is a little bit charming but mostly just depressing.
Bears fans don’t exactly hide their enthusiasm, which is part of what makes Chicago such an appealing place to play. It also – I’m sorry – can get really annoying at times, which Johnson hinted at recently in a story written by Chicago Sun-Times Bears reporter Patrick Finley.
Jaylon Johnson wants you to pump the breaks on all this offseason Bears hype
Hype don’t win you no games,” Johnson said. “I’ve been here a minute. I’ve been through the hype. And we don’t win no games. So, for me, if it’s not about winning, quite honestly, I don’t really care about it … I’ve been through it too many times, man. I’m going to get excited when we win in November. And December. And when we change some things and get into the playoffs. That’s when I’m going to get excited.”
Now THAT is a quote. That’s the tone of someone who not just played through, but survived, a Matt Eberflus-coached 14-game losing streak. Will it change anything? Absolutely not. Bears fans were Bears fans before Johnson showed up and will still be Bears fans long after he leaves. But he deserves tons of credit for the valiant, if not ultimately in-vain, effort. Chicago as a whole would probably be better off if moreBears players occasionally told their fans to chill out just a little bit.
Although, I will say: the vibes at Halas Hall are great right now. I’d even argue that in this specific scenario, the hype will win games. Does offseason hype work for other teams? No, it never does. Those other teams somehow delude themselves into thinking it might. But it might work for the Bears.
