Matt LaFleur isn't hiding the chip on his shoulder after Ben Johnson's direct shot reignited the Packers-Bears rivalry
Matt LaFleur doesn't know Ben Johnson, which made it all much weirder. During Johnson's first press conference as a head coach for the Chicago Bears, he said it was nice to beat LaFleur twice a year, trying to motivate Bears fans in their rivalry with the Green Bay Packers.
We are yet to see how it all will shake out, but the Packers head coach is clearly bothered by it to some degree. In an interview with Bussin' With the Boys, LaFleur addressed the topic—and his expressions told us more than his words.
"I was waiting for this. I don't know Ben Johnson. Do I have beef? Uh, I don't know Ben Johnson. I respect him as a football coach, he did a nice job," LaFleur said. "It's not tight, I'm not tight. I thought it was interesting. I thought the press conference was interesting. But I don't have beef with him."
LaFleur doesn't want to make things bigger.
"I don't have his number," LaFleur joked when asked if he would send eye emojis to Johnson after a win. "So that won't happen."
Back in January, Ben Johnson showed a lot of appreciation for his former head coach Matt Campbell, but used the stage to ignite the Packers-Bears rivalry.
"I'm gonna be quite frank with you," Johnson said then. "I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year."
Ben Johnson spent six seasons with the Detroit Lions, first as a lower-level assistant and then as an offensive coordinator. During his time there, the record against the Packers was 6-6. But yes, the Lions did sweep the Packers twice in the last three seasons, including last year.
As for the Chicago Bears, LaFleur won its first 11 games as a Packers head coach in the rivalry. The first loss came exactly in the last one, a Week 18 game this past season—and Jordan Love got out of the game early with an injury, making backup Malik Willis play most of the game.
Johnson was clearly trying to motivate Bears fans and stir the pot, knowing that the rivalry with the Packers has been a big topic of discussion in Chicago over the past few decades.
For LaFleur, though, it might be extra motivation.
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