Do the Stanky Legg: Johnson's take is Bears' latest postgame tradition

• 

  Courtney CroninNov 8, 2026, 11:06 AM ET

  Close

  Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever and GameNight on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

CHICAGO -- Ben Johnson faced a split-second decision as he strode past a gathering of coaches and front office members to where his players waited in the locker room at Soldier Field.

The Bears had just dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7 on "Monday Night Football," with third-string quarterback Case Keenum playing in place of an injured Caleb Williams. The postgame atmosphere was palpable, and the 40-year-old head coach was about to ignite the celebration even further.

Johnson's typical game-day demeanor resembles that of a stoic actuary calculating risk on a clipboard. At this moment, though, there was no plan, just vibes. And Johnson had lost his composure in the best way possible when he wound up his right arm before crossing it over his chest while lunging forward to wobble his left knee back and forth.

Johnson's version of the Stanky Legg hardly resembled the dance move popularized by the 2008 song by hip-hop group the GS Boyz, but his spur-of-the-moment celebration sent the locker room into a frenzy.

"Honestly, I had no idea," Johnson said. "Those guys were waiting for me like that, and so I didn't know what to do. That was a panic move is what it was."

The core of the dance move, which Johnson said he remembered teammates doing in high school in the 2000s, is simple. While shifting one's weight to one leg with the other extended out, the goal is to roll the extended leg in a loose circular motion while leaning back like you just stepped in something unpleasant.

Johnson had a big smile stretched across his face as he leaned into his rendition. Players watching shared laughs and cheers as their head coach let his guard down and showed off his jovial side.

"I [mess] with it," right tackle Darnell Wright said. "It's cool. I think the first one wasn't as good, but I think he's getting better week to week. He's improving. ... He just got to keep at it."

During his first season in Chicago, Johnson brought the "Good, Better, Best" chant to the Bears' locker room that he and his A.C. Reynolds High School teammates used to yell after wins. The high-energy cheer was instantly infectious and became a staple after wins that brought the locker room together.

Now, Johnson's Stanky Legg is part of the Bears' winning postgame traditions. Williams and several teammates joined their head coach after the Bears took down the Patriots on Oct. 22 by mimicking Johnson's version.

"It's something swaggy," cornerback Kyler Gordon said. "It's a new staple."

The following week, when Chicago beat the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Seattle, Johnson added a stutter-step before he launched into his Stanky Legg. As the weeks progress for the Bears (6-2), players now eagerly await Johnson's choreography, knowing that it signifies another hard-fought win.

"It's becoming an iconic thing," wide receiver Rome Odunze said. "Obviously, the 'Good, Better, Best' [chant] is a classic. I love saying that, but seeing Ben doing his Stanky Legg after the game is something that makes us all happy. So more Stanky Leggs to come."