LIONS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BEN JOHNSON QUOTE SHEET

May 30, 2024

On how not having an offensive player drafted in the first two rounds affects the offense: “The Draft, you just never know when you go into it how it’s going to unfold. There were a number of guys that we certainly felt like we had a vision for that would have fit us nicely. We ended up with a couple of really good defensive players. How that affects us offensively, we already have plans for the guys that we had on the roster. We spend all of the springtime talking about, ‘How can we get them a little bit better?’ Honestly, we started the offseason talking about who we felt like our bell cows were going to be and how we want to help develop and grow them into other roles as well. We’ve got a lot of good, young players on this team, ones that contributed for us last year, and ones that are still learning that maybe not everyone knows about yet. There were some guys on scout team last year that – we don’t draft a guy, maybe that’s an opportunity for them to show what they can do. I think more than anything, it just opens some windows for some guys that are really talented, they just haven’t had their number called yet.”

On what led to his decision to come back to the Lions: “Right after the championship game, we got on the plane, and I was just thinking about something that (Lions Head) Coach (Dan Campbell) had said. 2021 and early part of 2022, he had made this analogy to the team, just about how we were sailing down the ocean and at that moment, we were in the Arctic. We were hitting the icebergs, we had the storms going on, those were dark days. He had the foresight, he had the vision of where we were going and where we were heading. He assured us, ‘Guys, I see it. I see where we are going. The results haven’t been there yet, but the Caribbean is on the horizon. It’s coming up.’ I’m sitting on the plane, I’m thinking back to that. Just the story of my career has been living in that Arctic for a lot of it. That was the second time I had been to the playoffs, the first time I had experienced winning games in the playoffs. I think when it boils down to it, I wanted the sunshine a little bit longer. That’s really what it comes down to for me. I liked the sunshine, I like what we’ve built here. Starting with ownership, the Head Coach, the (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) GM (Brad Holmes), on down. We have a great group of guys in the locker room, and I want to reap the rewards with them a little bit longer.”

On why he valued seeing his goals through with the Lions over pursuing a head coaching job: “There’s a lot of things that go into it. A lot of reasons and dynamics that play a part. Something that really resonates with me is – OK, eight openings this past year. What would you set the over/under in three years for how many still have jobs? I would put the over/under at four and a half. I would say there’s a good chance that five of them are out of jobs in three years. When I look at it from that perspective, if I get the opportunity to go down that road, it’s about how do I get to that second contract? How do I set myself up that the stars need to align? I’m not going to do it just to do it. I love what I’m doing right now. Love it. I love where I’m at, my family loves where we’re at, I love the people that we’re doing it with, and so I’m not willing to go down the other path yet unless I feel really good about how it’s going to unfold.”

On what he is looking for in a head coaching job to make it right for him: “It comes down to – it’s ownership, it’s staff. My vision of how I can make it work with how I know I am, part of me too – I love play calling, and so if I took a head coaching job, I would want to be a play-calling head coach. Well, there’s a limit on how much time there is during a week, and so what’s it going to look like Monday through Sunday in that regard? So, I just want to make sure everything is nailed down. There’s an adjustment period for every person that takes that job. They’re learning on the fly, but I think the more that you have set and feel good about, that gives you the best chance. I was actually talking with someone the other day about this, the longer you’re in the coordinator chair, it does nothing but help you and prepare you more for the next step if it ever comes down the pipe. Personally, I don’t feel like I’m hurting my opportunities or my abilities to be a head coach in the future, and I love what I’m doing right now.”

On how he stays in tune with himself in the middle of all of the rumors about his interview process: “That’s what this League’s about. When you get opportunities to take care of yourself, you have to make sure you keep the big picture in mind, and that’s what I’ve tried to do, what’s right for me and my family. That’s really what it came down to for us.”

On how different the flight home was following the NFC Championship game after his meeting with the Washington Commanders: “It’s crazy. The whole playoff scene is crazy. We’ve already been going 17-plus weeks of four hours of sleep at night, and it adds up over the course of the year. Truthfully, I didn’t really give it any other thought. Once I finally got on the plane, I knew where I was probably leaning, and then it took 36 hours after that to, ‘Hey, this is the direction we’re going to go.’”

On what it was like seeing the negativity from the national media about his interview for the Washington Commanders head coaching job: “There was, in my opinion, some false narratives going on out there, and it started towards the end of last year, before I made the decision to pull out. That comes with the territory – I’m good with that. That’s part of life in the NFL so it doesn’t affect me. I do feel for the people around me. I hate that my family would ever read stuff that’s not necessarily the case, but they handled it really, really well. So, support staff is there, from that regard. I think I sleep well at night knowing what happened, how it happened, why it happened. I’m good there, and the people that are closest to me, they know who I am and what I about so it’s all good.”

On what makes his relationship with Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell different: “Yeah, I mean we’ve got a different relationship because we’ve known each other for so long, but we’re extremely comfortable with each other. I mean, he’s got this way about him, we’ve talked about his leadership capabilities up in front of a room and all that, but he knows when to press, when to demand, and when to – he can still crack a joke and have a good time as well. And there’s that balancing act when you’re in that chair that – he walks that line as well as I’ve ever seen.”

On if he studies the way that Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell talks to the media: “I can’t say I study. I’ve seen some of the press conferences, though, yeah. He’s unique.”

On if he has any doubt that he can be a head coach: “I do not.”

On if he feels that he needs to change anything about how the offense is run in the third quarter upon reflection of how the season went: “I love the football questions. This is great, this is good. I did this a couple of months ago, so I’m spit balling a little bit here, I don’t have the numbers exactly in my head, but I got it, I know what the third quarter says. Overall, third quarter was not good enough for us. I didn’t watch every single snap from that particular quarter. We did go back, we studied the opening drive of the second half, we did do that. There is a significant difference from the first 10 games of the season to the last 10 games of the season and how we were in the opening drive of the second half. We we’re significantly better in the second half of the season, the last 10 games. I want to say, those 10 games, those possessions, we scored five touchdowns, which is – 50 percent of your drives are going for touchdowns? You’re doing something right. So, I understand what’s going on out there. I do think it was something we talked about, we addressed during the season, and we started to see some results as the season went on. So, if you separate it up that way, I think we’re trending in the right direction.”

On what the biggest thing is that he needs to replace with the departure of former Lions WR Josh Reynolds: “That was eye opening during the self-scout period, to be honest with you, was he was an explosive play waiting to happen. A number of his receptions were big plays for us. So, something we’ve talked about with this skill group, those opportunities go elsewhere now, and we need guys to step up and rise to the occasion just like he did. It might be someone that didn’t have as much production last year – say an (Lions WR) Antoine Green or a (Lions WR Donovan) Peoples-Jones or some of the guys that we had on the scout team, that could be the – or it could be some of the other guys – maybe it’s another carry for (Lions RB) David Montgomery or (Lions RB Jahmyr) Gibbs or it’s another target for (Lions TE Sam) LaPorta. It could be – we might have to spread it out that way. So, that’s what we’re trying to find out here this springtime and in training camp is not just who the guys are that we’ll hang our hats on, but also how we distribute those carries and those targets as the season goes.”

On if there are any false narratives he wants to correct about his interview process: “No, I’m good.”