While the tenure of former Lions head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn will not be looked at fondly, there is at least one thing supporters can thank the duo for.
For the Lions, retaining Ben Johnson has breathed a new life into the fanbase, alleviating the growing tension for an already anxious group of supporters.
The talented offensive mind will now run the offense for at least one more season under head coach Dan Campbell, allowing growing expectations for the 2023 season to remain intact.
Suddenly, several NFL teams are scrambling in order to find quality offensive coordinators.
It was reported that offensive coordinator Greg Roman was leaving the Baltimore Ravens. The veteran assistant's departure brought the total number of teams seeking talented offensive minds to 10.
The other teams currently seeking a new offensive coordinator are the Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Commanders, Titans, Rams, Jets, Patriots and Colts.
More: Lions 2022 PFF Grades Show Young NFL Team Emerging
In order to keep Johnson in the fold, it has been reported a hefty raise in salary was offered by the organization.
The gesture shows a commitment to keeping the positive momentum the team has earned over the past five months growing.
The 36-year-old joined the Lions organization back in 2019 as the offensive quality control coach.
He served as the team's tight ends coach in 2020 and 2021 before taking over as offensive coordinator after Anthony Lynn was let go at the conclusion of last season.
"We talk offensively about being multiple, being able to attack in a lot of different ways and our groups really embrace that," Johnson said, ahead of the Lions' 2022 debut against the Eagles. "You see that a little bit the other night, we did the night practice, and so our unit was able to -- we were able to try a few different concepts that over the course of a scripted practice are challenging to get in sometimes.
"So, I’m excited about the fact that our group has been very dialed in mentally. They’ve been focused, they’ve been professional, they’ve been able to take adjustments that we throw on them at the last minute and apply them and make it work. So, from that regard I think there’s a lot of promise in terms of where we can potentially push the envelope here on offense. And conceptually, I think the sky’s the limit there. We can do a lot of different things with the way these guys have embraced everything. So, not to divulge too much, but feel good about what we’ve put on tape so far from a fundamental standpoint upfront being able to evaluate our guys that way, and where it can go potentially once we get into the regular season.”
Even though there were struggles along the way, including being shutout against the Patriots, Johnson's offense improved and corrected issues that had plagued the team, including red zone scoring.
So next season, when the team is moving the football, launching bombs to Jameson Williams and racking up points at a record pace, think back to who brought the leader of the offense to Detroit.
And don't forget to thank Dan Campbell, too, for retaining Johnson when he took over the mess that was left in 2021.
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