The Detroit Lions went 15-2 last season. It was their best record in franchise history and a surefire sign they were a Super Bowl contender. Sadly, Jared Goff’s meltdown (four interceptions) and a defensive collapse led to a crushing divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders. Mere days after the loss, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left for the Chicago Bears head coaching job, and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left for the New York Jets head coaching job. Both were losses the Lions saw coming, but apparently weren’t adequately prepared for.
While the loss of Glenn was bad enough, Johnson’s exit seems to be causing more concern behind closed doors. The offense was the primary driving force behind Detroit’s success the past three years. The Lions hired veteran assistant John Morton to replace him. Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network said the transition has been “rockier than desired.” It probably wasn’t helped by an ugly performance in the Hall of Fame game that saw the offense score just seven points. It took 17 plays to go 65 yards on that drive. The Lions turned it over four times (three INTs and one on downs).
The Detroit Lions deserve criticism for not having a plan.
Now, maybe Morton ultimately pans out fine. Transitions can be difficult sometimes. Still, it’s not like he was the first choice in the minds of many. He had only one year of coordinating experience in the NFL with the Jets. It didn’t go well. Some felt his work in Denver developing rookie QB Bo Nix absolved him of those issues, but anybody with common sense knew most of the credit went to head coach Sean Payton for that. The Detroit Lions should’ve done the smart thing and pursued the most qualified coordinator they could find. Las Vegas hired Chip Kelly right after he won a national championship for Ohio State. They could’ve handed the job to the former Stanford head coach David Shaw. He had extensive coordinating experience. Making him the passing game coordinator instead was puzzling.
Either way, the lack of a strong backup plan for Johnson’s departure may become a critical pivot point in franchise history.
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