Ben Johnson’s first big coordinator move wasn’t a surprise. He needed a proven defensive coordinator to complement his offense. Dennis Allen became his choice. The former New Orleans Saints head coach is widely respected for his defensive play-calling. Johnson saved his swerve for the offensive side when he hired 28-year-old Declan Doyle to take over coordinating duties. This was easily one of the young people ever to take on the job in league history. While he won’t be calling plays, it was still somewhat odd. One would think Johnson might prefer somebody with more experience.
People inside the NFL don’t seem nearly as shocked. Nicholas Moreano caught up with a few league employees down at the Senior Bowl in Alabama. He asked around about the new Bears offensive coordinator. The feedback he got suggests Johnson knew exactly what he was doing with this hire.
Declan Doyle seems to be on the same path as Johnson.
Former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz told the story of how he visited the Miami Dolphins training camp in the mid-2010s. While watching practice, he took note of a young assistant coach who seemed to be everywhere and on top of everything. When he asked then-head coach Adam Gase about the guy, Gase said, “He’s going to be a superstar.” That young coach was Johnson. It seems as if history might be repeating itself. Declan Doyle is having a similar rapid rise up the ranks. He may not be proven, but his intelligence, work ethic, and attention to detail have caught the eyes of many. The fact people are surprised it took him this long to get a coordinator job (he’s been in the league for only six years) should tell you everything. Chicago may have landed a good one before anybody else recognized it.
more I read about the changes more convinced that there is a pasture out there for Ryan, as Ben is running full speed and twirling a few heads. will Kevin realize that Ben has the brains and the ideas and to beware of ‘oversight’
Baby oil? Try Ben-Gay in the middle of winter in Duluth. She said it was by accident. But to this day I’m not so sure. No boats.
This is an easy one. Johnson will be running the offense. The OC position is more of an “assistant OC to the HC who is the real OC” position. This is who Johnson wanted as his assistant. If Johnson isn’t happy with his performance, he’ll change it up. All we need to do is relax and see what happens. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the offensive position coaches don’t answer to Doyle (or was it ‘Coyle’, or whatever), but really answer to Johnson. The only possible negative I see to Doyle’s hiring is that there has been some chatter… Read more »
@GatorJoe I do know that the Coen presser in Jacksonville after he received the job was about as cheesy as it gets. The Jaguar fans were like “Jesus here we go again”. And many of these were from fans that initially liked Coen getting the job at first. It’s going to be bad in Jacksonville.
You will all be sad when the Jaguars hire Doyle away next year to be their head coach. Wasn’t that the fear with Getsy? Oh wait.