With Goff’s resurgence in confidence and play under Ben Johnson, and seeing the Lions offense keep improving under his creativity… would or even could the Lions organization just give Ben Johnson a huge payday to stay as OC?
Honestly, just see Dan Campbell as the emotional leader/head coach more than the play caller. Just seems like how we are playing couldnt the Lions just overpay Ben Johnson’s worth to stay? With the potential coaching openings, would someone really want to leave?
For people like Ben, it’s not just about the money, and even then, the Lions would only be able to give him a fraction of what he’d earn as a head coach.
We need to understand and accept he’s gone after this season. Let’s just hope he doesn’t bring Goff with him.
(And that he doesn’t end up with an NFC North rival)
First off- no Chicago. If Caleb Williams is there it would have to be at least intriguing to a new HC. Second- the Lions better be actively grooming a couple guys who work intensively with Ben. Whatever Ben is doing, the way he thinks and sees the game…next man up needs to catch it.
They bumped him already last year.
Don’t sell DC short.
The collaborative approach to play design and gameplanning is a Lions thing, not a Ben thing necessarily. The construction of this offensive personnel would be 100% the same even if Ben was never here.
What we know for a fact can be attributed to Ben is his focus on precision with all of the offense. That was the one notable thing that changed when Anthony Lynn was essentially demoted. Ben’s “passing game coordinator” role brought precision and reliability to the receivers that helped to build Goff’s confidence.
So, we would struggle to replace him for sure, but there’s a mix here of philosophy and methodology that doesn’t begin or end with Ben.
Yeah, I think he loves his work and the highest expression of that is to become a successful head coach.
That said, I don’t think he screws the Lions by taking Goff or even accepting a job in the North. I think there is genuine love for the organization which has put him on the national stage.
But maybe he’s still a year or two away? We can only hope.
Dan should definitely be grooming his replacement right now.
They already did give him a chunky pay rise to stay.
I think there’s a chance he stays longer than this year. He’s only 37 and is in a really good place to learn about leading a whole football team, which is a whole different ball game to being a coordinator. He obviously likes where he is at the moment, and the team made a financial gesture to keep him, so it’s not totally outwith the realms of possibility that he’s planning on spending three or four years as our OC before taking the step up when he’s fully ready and prepared to be a HC.
I won’t be surprised if he leaves, but equally I won’t be surprised if he stays a little longer.
I’m hoping Tennessee keeps pooping the bed. And Ben can go there. Seems like a good fit for him, and he’s far away from us!
But let’s enjoy the moment and not doom the future for once!!! (I just said that…)
Why couldn’t the Lion’s give him every penny that he would earn as a head coach? There are no rules against it. Ben talked to his wife in the offseason and said “why try to out happy happy?” He loves it here. If we win big why couldn’t we pay Ben 10mil a year to stay? There is no salary cap for staff. And being an OC is way less stressful than being a head coach. Paying the man a fat bag would be a win win situation. Ben is so young he has plenty of time to become a great head coach. Personally, i think he only gets better experience preparing him to be great at the next level by staying.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m just suggesting it’s against the grain as far as this goes.
People don’t get into this profession to remain assistants. They get into it to challenge themselves and become the best. They are inherently competitive. Probably more competitive than any of us on this forum has ever been in our lives. The best of the best.
I totally understand the inclination to remain a well-paid OC. I do. But it also happens to jive with what Lions fans want to have happen, which means your assessment is subjective.
Objectively, and all the evidence of successful OCs, suggest head coach is the next stop for Ben—and he’s more than earned it.
Is it impossible? No. I am curious if there’s examples of this happening elsewhere with an up-and-coming coordinator. I can’t think of any off-hand.