Chicago Bears:
BEFORE-GOOD
2025-BETTER
2026-BEST
This is the mantra, the chant of the Chicago Bears under the leadership of first-year head coach Ben Johnson…Good, Better, Best…Don’t Let It Rest, till the Good gets Better, and the Better gets Best…
He picked up this team motto while playing high school football for Coach Bobby Poss, at AC Reynolds High School, up in Asheville, N.C.
It seems to be working as the Bears have another home game this weekend, as they hit the Second Round of the NFL Playoffs…LA Rams at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and time to get the Good, Better, Best rolling again at Soldier Field…Tickets as low as $425.00…Get them while they’re HOT…
But we do have more on how the Good, Better, Best chant got going, and you will also find it in use in Guilford County, at Eastern Guilford HS, with EG Wildcats’ head coach Tim Bagamary having been part of that AC Reynolds football program back in high school, there in Asheville….
from AI:
The Chicago Bears’ “Good, Better, Best” chant, led by Coach Ben Johnson, is a motivational mantra for players to constantly improve, stemming from his high school football days and becoming a team rallying cry after wins in the 2025 season, symbolizing “one heartbeat, one voice” and now appearing on team merchandise like t-shirts and sweatshirts. It’s a post-game ritual where players shout it after victories, signifying that good performance isn’t enough; they must strive for better and best.
What it Means:
“Good, better, best! Never let it rest”: This is the full phrase, meaning one should always push beyond just being good or better to achieve their best.
Unity: It fosters a collective mindset, uniting the team with a single voice and goal.
Appreciation & Growth: It’s a way to celebrate wins while acknowledging the continuous need for improvement.
Origin:
Coach Ben Johnson brought the chant from his high school, A.C. Reynolds, where it was a rallying cry for his championship team in the early 2000s.
How it’s Used:
After winning games, Coach Johnson leads the team in the chant in the locker room, handing out game balls and reinforcing the message.
Popularity:
The chant caught on with fans and the team, becoming a significant part of the Bears’ 2025 success story, leading to its appearance on official team merchandise.
More from ESPN.com:
BOBBY POSS WAS fuming. The A.C. Reynolds High School Rockets were up big at halftime, but the former varsity football coach at the Asheville, North Carolina, powerhouse sensed a letdown could be coming.
“Somebody get me a phone book!” Poss yelled.
One of his assistant coaches retrieved the weighty directory from Poss’ office, and players gathered around their head coach, confused but intrigued.
“I looked at them, I go, ‘I don’t think you really want to play hard,'” Poss recalled. “‘I don’t think you want to go out in the second half and play like you did in the first half. I think you all are ready to just chill.’ I said, ‘We’re not going to chill out.'”
Without hesitation, Poss ripped the spine of the yellow pages in half as the locker room erupted. The Rockets won that game handily.
Poss, 75, jokes that he can’t remember his golf score from the day before, let alone which team A.C. Reynolds beat and by how much after his phone book stunt. But Poss’ motivational tactics made an impact, including on his quarterback, Ben Johnson.
Another of Poss’ galvanizing tactics was a postgame chant the Rockets yelled after every win.
Good, better, best!
Never let it rest
Till your good gets better
And your better gets best
BIG. GREEN. MACHINE.
Fast forward to 2025 and Johnson is coaching one of the NFL’s surprise success stories. The Chicago Bears have won 12 games this season, and after each victory, Johnson hands out game balls and then performs an homage to his high school coach.
Good, better, best!
Never let it rest
Till your good gets better
And your better gets best
Bears on 3 … 1, 2, 3, BEARS!
“I remember being in that locker room, and that was just the rallying cry at that time,” Johnson said. “And I think there’s something to be said when a group of men, they’re all believing the same thing, they’re saying the same thing.
“It’s one heartbeat, one voice, and I think our guys have enjoyed it.”
**********And a side note…Three, count them Three NFC West Teams still in playoff and Super Bowl hunt….LA Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers…Interesting…..**********