By Sunday 
There are some plays in football that feel like they were designed not just for yards, but to emotionally rattle a fanbase. If you’re a Chicago Bears fan, you probably remember one such play—Stumblebum. Yes, that one. The moment Jared Goff tripped (intentionally), stood tall, and lobbed a touchdown pass to a wide-open Sam LaPorta, Bears fans were left frozen somewhere between awe and agony.
But now? That pain has turned into promise. Because the evil genius behind Stumblebum—Ben Johnson—is yours.
“We Hated It. Now We Love It.”
Let’s not sugarcoat this: Stumblebum sucked… for Bears fans.
It came at a particularly gut-punch moment during Week 16 last season when the Lions were already on a roll, and the Bears were scrambling to stay afloat. Johnson, then the Lions’ offensive coordinator, cooked up a play that belonged in an Ocean’s Eleven heist movie. It was cheeky, brazen, and wildly effective.
But as Lester Wiltfong Jr. put it in Windy City Gridiron, now that Johnson wears navy and orange, it’s perfectly acceptable to revisit that moment and wonder: “What other magic is this man bringing to Halas Hall?”
Trick Plays and Track Records
Johnson wasn’t hired just to troll Detroit. His offensive mind is among the sharpest in the NFL. The Bears front office didn’t just admire his schematics—they knew his knack for transforming plays that make SportsCenter and drive defensive coordinators mad.
Whether it’s misdirection, unexpected formations, or plays like Stumblebum that blur the line between chaos and choreography, Johnson brings flair, creativity, and unpredictability.
Halas Hall is His Lab Now
Now the question becomes: What does Ben Johnson’s playbook look like when he’s wearing the right colors?
With Caleb Williams under center and a solid receiver core including Keenan Allen and rookies bursting with promise, Bears fans should brace for the unexpected—this time in a good way.
It won’t be long before some poor cornerback bites on a fake stumble and Johnson’s Bears are dancing in the end zone. Only now, Soldier Field will erupt in celebration instead of confusion.
Let the Stumbling Begin (Strategically)
So, yeah, Stumblebum hurt. But it’s okay to laugh now—because the mastermind is yours.
What was once a haunting memory is now a glimpse of the fun, fearless football ahead for Chicago. And if we’re lucky, this is just the start of Johnson’s greatest hits in blue and orange.