In the aftermath of a disastrous defeat squeezed out of the jaws of victory, it’s telling how people react to failure.
For example, there’s the Chicago Bears’ Matt Eberflus. The third-year coach put on a late-game disaster class to set up the Washington Commanders’ stunning Hail Mary win. And instead of falling on his sword, Eberflus decided to blame his players for their “execution.” That should tell you everything about him as a coach.
Then there’s Jaylon Johnson. He’s the Bears’ best player, a veritable All-Pro, and arguably the NFL’s top cornerback. Rather than follow Eberflus’ example, the superstar defender decided that the emotional aftermath of a tough defeat was not the time to throw anyone under the bus (Tyrique Stevenson, come on down!) under any circumstances.
Johnson’s explanation about what went wrong after the Bears’ loss says as much:
Jaylon Johnson's perspective on the Hail Mary: "There should never be somebody wide open in the back of the end zone. Plus we just didn’t execute it well enough at the end of the day. I can’t tell you who was supposed to be there. I don’t know. But at the end of the day, there…
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) October 28, 2024
Man, that’s a great teammate right there. Because even while Johnson says he doesn’t know whose job it was to cover the back of the end zone, there’s a very high likelihood he had already seen the viral video of Stevenson trash-talking Commanders fans. But, because Johnson is mature and secure enough in his status as a star player, he understands it’s better to keep things in-house rather than tearing down a teammate in public.
Take notes, Matt Eberflus. Your best player is an actual leader.