Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, has garnered national attention in the past 11 weeks for his impressive ability to turn around the sluggish Lions’ offense. This has generated a lot of talk in NFL circles with rumors swirling on if he will move to a big NFL head coach position. A longtime NFL personnel executive has this to say in an article by The Washington Post:
“I love everything about the guy, he kind of came out of nowhere, but I’m buying him as a future head coach.”
The Washington Post
Why it matters: While Ben Johnson is merely 36 years old and has only been calling plays for 11 games, he entered week 12 ranked in the top six in touchdowns per drive. And also in the percentage of drives that reach the red zone. The Detroit Lions struggled to win three games last year and with Ben Johnson as their offensive coordinator this year, the Lions might reach the playoffs. Currently, the Detroit Lions are 4-7. Johnson’s reputation has spread like wildfire through word of mouth rather than big PR campaigns and hype. Another longtime personnel executive had this to say about Johnson:
“He’s special. What he’s had to overcome with injuries and from a personnel standpoint, the way they run the football, what he’s done for Goff: Not many coordinators are doing what he’s doing. You look at the film and the way his players respond to him. That’s how you evaluate a coach. That’s coaching.”
The Washington Post
Ben Johnson By The Numbers:
- Started his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2009 at Boston College. In 2011 he was promoted to tight ends coach.
- 2012 he was an offensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins.
- 2013 he was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins.
- In 2015 Johnson served as tight ends coach for the last 12 games of the season.
- In 2019 he was named offensive quality control coach for the Detroit Lions.
- 2020 Johnson was promoted to tight ends coach for the Lions.
What Did Ben Johnson Say About These Rumors
“I don’t even want to talk about it, …100% of my focus is on my current job, point blank. Point blank. All I care about is beating the Jacksonville Jaguars. This whole thing, looking at last year at this time until now, like I said, I haven’t had a chance to reflect, but it’s certainly been a whirlwind, put in some different roles, And as I’ve always done, just trying to do the best job at whatever I’m asked to do. But yeah, the future will take care of itself. I can’t worry about that right now. I’m worried about us as an offense, continuing to get better and score points, help us win games.”
The Detroit News
What Detroit Lions Fans’ Say About Johnson
