One thing that is inevitable with humanity is it’s impossible to get every single person to agree on something. That is especially true in sports. When talking about the next Chicago Bears head coach, several fans want Ben Johnson. The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator has been terrific over the past three years, helping his team become a Super Bowl contender. Rumors have hinted for months that he has interest in the Bears job, likely spurred by quarterback Caleb Williams. Word is an interview will happen at some point after the regular season ends.
Sure enough, at least one person is against that idea. Dan Orlovsky played quarterback for the Lions in the 2000s and is now a top analyst for ESPN. He told Kevin Clark on the This Is Football podcast that Johnson isn’t the best fit for Williams’ playing style. His reasoning was interesting if nothing else.
Orlovsky is implying Ben Johnson can’t adapt.
One of the common quotes about the Lions offensive coordinator was his ability to adapt the system to his players’ strengths. Maybe he uses the scheme he does because he knows that is the type Jared Goff prefers. To say the man is utterly incapable of running something different to fit what Williams does best is a wild assumption. This is also implying the Bears rookie is incapable of playing with any timing despite considerable evidence to the contrary this season. Sure, he’s held the ball too often at times, but it’s not like it is a crippling weakness. He can play from the pocket. The problem has been his coaches haven’t implemented a cohesive scheme.
If Ben Johnson can’t adjust his scheme to fit a talent like Williams, then he isn’t the offensive wizard everybody makes him out to be. Guys like Andy Reid have no problem making necessary tweaks for their quarterbacks. There is no reason to think Johnson can’t do the same.
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@Unluckyirishman76 Merry Christmas to you too!
Ben Johnson’s resume has education that is math and computer science heavy. My guess is that he’s a smart guy. However, my thoughts are that there are generally two kinds of people who are successful (and many people who are unsuccessful). One is very structured, very organized and detail oriented, and the other is creative, fluid, instinctual. Rarely do those qualities both intersect and flourish. The way they do, is to recognize what needs to be structured, detailed, and then when to relax and become instinctual. It happens more with individuals than organizational leaders, but it can happen. Andy Reid,… Read more »
@Arnie….ok I gotcha. But seriously, this roster is not good. If you happen to hear Olin, Briggs, Mannelly and Brown talk they are basically saying the same thing. Maybe they need a HC to kick them in the ass more but eventually talent wins out. You are correct about we could of had some more wins but the coaches messed it up but a few of our wins could/should of been loses. (Think Tenn for starters). Heres hoping for better days ahead. Merry Christmas brother.
@Barry: Put me in column #4 with Arnie, with a side of #3. I can confidently say that as a junior high school tight end, I have a 100% catch percentage, and a 100% first down percentage on catches to go with my 6.0 yards per catch average. (Yes, it was one catch.) That said, we’ve never seen Ben Johnson run a different style of offense because he hasn’t had to run a different style of offense. By all accounts, he’s a bright guy, with a computer science (CS) major, math too (although I teach a Physics of Digital Circuits… Read more »
@Unluckyirishman76 I think you may have misunderstood me. My whole point was just to say that a good coach can work with any roster and doesn’t require “his guys”. That’s not to say the team shouldn’t be trying to upgrade talent, fill holes or whatever. A good coach adapts his system, playcalls, and everything else to maximize the players he has to work with. Examples of bullshit coaches that I am referring to: Mike Martz – “My system doesn’t use tight ends so trade Greg Olsen to Carolina for a sack of dirty jock straps.” Matt Eberflus – “I need… Read more »