Is Ben Johnson an offensive Savant?

The Den
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I keep hearing the media calling him a savant. I’ve seen articles calling him a savant. I heard them talking on NFL radio just this week about how he was a Savant and would fix everything wrong in CHI.

I was driving through Illinois a while back and the radio talked about how Goff was a washed up throw away QB and Ben Johnson single handedly fixed him into a probowl level QB. If he can do that to Goff he will turn. Lawrence into the best QB in the league in less time than it took him to fix a broken down, washed up Jared Goff.

What’s odd is these same media people were bashing Dan and the Lions for promoting him just a few years ago. Why would the Lions go with such an unproven coach to lead our offense?…. they asked. He went from nobody to savant in just a few years all because a two time Probowl QB in Goff suddenly got good in DET.

Just a few years ago Morton and Johnson were in a tight battle to become OC. It was Morton who was a more proven commodity. But Dan chose Ben and Morton decides to move on to greener pastures.

Many of those same media experts think the Lions will be worse now that the brains of our offense has left.

Did Ben really have that kind of impact? Especially on Goff?
Had Dan chose John Morton would John have had the same success?

I personally feel like Ben’s Hype is a bit overrated. I like Ben but I feel like the success of the Lions offense was much more than just Ben Johnson. I always felt the media under valued Goff and Ben gets a lot of credit for stuff Goff himself did.

I do not think Morton will be this huge drop off and I think there’s a good chance he’s better or at least just as good.

Will Ben suddenly fix CHI in just two short season like some predict. Heck many predict he will do it in his first season.

Mostly I want to know what Lions fans think. Is Ben some offensive savant? He’s being held in the same breath as guys like Mike Martz, Sean McVay, Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, Bill Walsh, Chip Kelly, Don Coryell, and Joe Gibbs….

Will the Lions offense decline because he left?

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I think he’s a really smart play caller and designer. But the offense in Detroit was due to many people. The gutsy calls, the fake plays etc also come from dan. The multiple run game mostly from hank fraley. Ben helped put it all together and ran it. But those names you mentioned… are coaches that are great team builders and motivators as well. Being a head coach is different. And to be honest… Ben johnson doesn’t strike me as a manager / CEO type. He may struggle in that role. I think he might be more like a norv turner, Steve spagnolo type of guy… not guy who develops coaches and builds culture, etc. I could be wrong… but the roles are different. And the guys who make it can do both.

Honestly I think Dan is more like those guys. And just like a Sean Mcvay… we won’t bat an eye losing coaches every year because dan is at the helm.

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Even if Ben is savant, the main reason for the offensive success is because of the players….

Ben will never have an offensive roster better than he had with the Lions.

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I was a little surprised at how open, blunt, and honest Ben was about Caleb Williams. He basically called his game garbage to the national media. So anyone thinking he’s this little coward, well it doesn’t appear so. But I can’t predict the future. I’ve never believed in Caleb and that hasn’t changed.

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We’ll know the truth here in a year or two.
Pretty understandable if the team that got him need to hope it was the move that put them over. It’s also just as understandable that the team that lost him will put him down at every moment like he had nothing to do with thier success.
The real question is whether Caleb Williams is a legit qb. That’ll be the main issue.

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Time will tell! But I think he’s a peetty damned good offensive coach. Lots of teams have talent. Ben had them as the number 1 scoring team.

I’ve always said the best thing to happen to McVay was Jeff Fisher. By that I mean he made Goff and not offense underperform to their talent level. Then ala McVay and everything thinks hes a genius turing a bum like Goff into what he is. Obviously McVay is elite. But it’s set the tone for Goff and his coaches from a media perspective.

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I love hearing this. I hope Chicago is eating it up.
Goff went to a Super Bowl long before he even knew who Ben was.
Goff being washed up is a figment of the collective media circle jerk.
Ben was calling the plays in both playoff losses.
If Goff turned a corner, Mark Brunell was more likely the guy that helped him.
Ben just had a Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell built offense with outstanding weapons, everywhere.
Near as I can attest, he couldn’t make halftime adjustments until the mid 4th quarter.

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I think Benedict Johnson is a very good play caller. With that said, I also think he can get too cute at times when it comes to in-game management.

No NFL coach is a coward, none of them got to where they are by being cowards. As was previously said, two things will be key to how he does. First and foremost is if Caleb can become the franchise QB they think he is. Can he operate within Ben’s offensive system based on timing and proper read progression?

Second, how will Benedict handle the inevitable downs of an NFL season? It happens to even the best NFL teams and certainly will happen to a less than elite team under a 1st year Head Coach.

I hope Da Bears fall flat on their face and that Williams is nothing more than a scrambling QB who will pull plays out of his ass on occasion. As for Benedict, I hope the team he leads continues their rightful place in the cellar of the division.

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I don’t think he’s the greatest of play-callers, nor would I call him a savant. What I do think he is is coordinated. He knows how to practice and he knows how to focus on the details. His impact on Goff is a bit of a push-pull type thing. He’s coached all the position groups to execute with a certain precision so that the QB can trust they’re all on the same page. When Goff has confidence and anticipate his throws, he’s as good as anyone in the league and why we sat atop the league in scoring. That comes with a degree of rapport/trust. If Ben is good at something, it’s focusing on those details that feed the QB’s trust. That said, Goff is held to the same standard. When these guys are on the details here, here and there, then you have to stand in the pocket, trust the playcall and your eyes and deliver the throw.

Can every NFL QB play and throw with anticipation, accurately? Can Caleb Williams? Will Caleb be on the details the same way his position groups will be on the details? By the way, I think El is a good fit for Ben due to his focus on the same. I guess we all know that there’s a degree of precision required to an NFL offense, but it just seems to be a point of emphasis. By contrast, I think Mort is probably a much more aggressive play-caller and play-designer. I believe he has influenced Ben. But, is Mort the teacher that Ben is? Is Mort going to dial back on the details so he can dial up on explosives?

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As @LineBusy stated above, Ben is very good with details. His other super power is his ability to communicate to the player groups at their levels.
Is he a leader of Men? This is 1 of Dan’s many super powers.
Ben will now have to be the leader on the staff as well as in the locker room, a new unproven venue for him. I’ve watched a lot of Ben’s interviews, I don’t see it.

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The offensive line had a lot to do with the offensive success. Then you throw in Goff and a bunch of elite skill position players. Ben is a great play caller and offensive mind, but that doesn’t mean he will be a great HC. I always felt AG would have more success as a HC and I still do. I also found it interesting that an analyst (can’t remember which one) that noted DC always has a copy of the play calling sheet. I guess it’s something that most HC don’t have unless they are calling plays. In short, I think DC was way more involved in the offense than people suspect.

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I think he was/is a very OC and worked for a strong head coach who had a clear plan and vision of what he wanted from his offense. Dan recently stated, when asked about Morton, that he will do a great job but it starts with me(paraphrasing) and subtly made it plain that it was his vision for the offense that was being run from an overall scheme. The run offense, running trick plays, aggression on 4th down all came from the head coach.

Now, Ben did a great job implementing Dan’s goal/vision in his own personal way. So, I do think Ben was an excellent OC and think he could be a good head coach. Yet, the role of head coach is very different than OC and time will tell if Chicago can replicate what Sheila and Chris S have put together in Detroit.

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This is where I am at. Terms like genius, elite, savant, etc., get tossed out way to easily in sports hyperbole. I think he has proven very effective at play calling/design, and I won’t take that away from him. But I can be patient for this particular answer. I still believe he plays a little “too cute” for my liking.

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To expand on this, I think he too easily plays away from his team’s strengths, and he can be stubborn about his game plans.

For example, trying to use the pass to set up the run against Tampa Bay right off the bat, instead of attacking their strength (run defense) with our strength (run offense). I think he was giving the Bucs too much credit in his game design. Or failing to consistently run the ball against the Commies, not going with the hot hand (Gibbs) while favoring a faltering Monty just because that was the plan.

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I heard an interview with some Bears players post early camp. They were talking about how Ben was easy going off the field but how hard he pushed them on the field. How he was high energy and wasn’t afraid to get in their ass. His coaching philosophy was to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Which some compared to a Bill Parcels type of an approach.

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Everyone mentions his attention to details and execution. If you don’t do it correctly during practice, why do you expect to have success in a high pressure situation?

That idea is transferable from team to team. If the Bears can adopt that level of precise play with their talented players they will get a lot better.

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https://x.com/i/status/1952075926927515860

https://x.com/i/status/1952086849700438313

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I think everyone here has covered what I think. I don’t think Ben is a savant, but I do think he is a good offensive coordinator. I do think the Lions offense takes somewhat of a step back this year, but I also think that last year was massively inflated due to weak competition. Playing both the AFC and NFC South was and is as cake as cake can get. I think this year we rely more on the run game and control the clock more. Passing numbers will be down, but 1st downs and time of possession will be up. Detroit still has explosive players so scoring will be down but still high. I think the Lions still win 11 games next year but a much harder schedule will mean more losses.

My biggest question for Ben is how does he handle criticism. In Detroit, Dan Campbell is always willing to fall on the sword and take all of the heat when a decision doesn’t work. Ben’s come across as someone who you don’t question his decisions. I really think he started to develop a certain cockiness last year and players have hinted about it. In Chicago, the media can be relentless and he won’t have a shield like he did in Detroit. If Chicago’s offense looks bad, the media won’t be blaming Caleb, they will be blaming Ben. How does he handle those kinds of questions?

I agree with the others above about the media and Goff. The media has said for years Goff was terrible, and that’s why McVay dumped him to Detroit. Goff then has a resurgance, and since we said Goff sucked, there must be an easy explanation. Oh, it must be the offensive coordinator Ben Johnon is a savant and God tier coach. He is SO good, he even made Goff an effective QB! Well, just wait until Ben gets paired with a truly elite talent, like Caleb Williams, who the media all said is the next Patrick Mahomes!

That’s what the new narrative is, and it ties everything up in a nice big bow for them. Lazy writers.

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I liked Ben’s approach and attitude leading into last season and I felt we saw the real Ben Johnson come out this last year. His cockiness was evident.

Everyone gave Bill Parcells credit for Brady but it wasn’t until Brady left that people started saying it was Brady who made Parcells. I think Brady knew he had to leave to shake off that label and he did. Personally I think they both had a hand in it.

I see Goff and Johnson in the same light. I think a lot of their success was because of both of them. I also think Ben gets all the credit for Goff and that narrative will change now that the two aren’t together anymore. Especially if Goff continues to play at a high level and Ben’s offense struggles. Ben is a good OC in my eyes but I think this savant label is a bit much.

I supported Goff from day one and I never really understood the resurgence label the media placed on Goff. His last year in LA he threw for nearly 4K yards. Sure he declined in stats in that year and his first year in DET but I always contributed that to a poor surrounding cast.

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I’ve said it before and will again……I can’t wait for Morton to get all the credit when Detroit has a top 5 offense again. Because Goff won’t get any credit.

I think Morton is going to benefit from guys like Jamo, Gibbs, and LaPorta playing at another level. I think Jamo and LaPorta could be monsters. Gibbs already is, but his work as a receiver might take him to another level.

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