John Morton smiles when he hears the word 'innovator,' and uses it a lot. Three years ago in Detroit, he helped create an offensive juggernaut. He was "one of the pivotal pieces of helping us put this together," Dan Campbell said Tuesday, "this offense originally for Goff, with Goff." Now he's returning to run it.
When Morton worked quietly for the Lions as a senior offensive assistant in 2022, Jared Goff was at the center of his orbit. Morton wanted to deepen his understanding of the most cerebral job on the field, down to "the process of how the quarterback is thinking," he said. He knew that to push himself "to the next level as an offensive coordinator and play-caller, I needed to know that position inside and out."
"I know the plays," he said, "but it was the techniques and everything that goes with it."
Morton assumed a wide-ranging role under quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell. He dove into everything from drill-work to game-planning, "third down, red zone," even "what to look for" from the opponent, he said. "I was a big part of that." Goff had a bounce-back season that year and has since thrown for the most yards and touchdowns in the NFL. Morton served in similar capacities for the Raiders and Broncos on either side of his first shift in Detroit.
Campbell credits Morton for coming up with plays the Lions used in the pass game each week, designed for a particular look from the defense. Even in the final hours before kick-off, he said, Morton would study the tendencies of the opposing coordinator and suggest counter-calls to Ben Johnson to keep the offense "one step ahead." Detroit jumped from 25th in scoring the year prior to fifth.
"He does not lack ideas, ever," said Campbell. "He’s very creative in that regard. He’s a grinder. He’s an unbelievably hard worker."
Campbell cites the "trust and faith" that he has in Morton. He notes that Goff is "comfortable" with him. He references Morton's "rapport" with Brunell and offensive line coach Hank Fraley. These things are important to Campbell, who also coached with Morton for a year in New Orleans. As much as football acumen matters on this staff, "it's really about the mesh and chemistry," said Campbell.
"That was a big part of it," he said. "I think we got it right."
If so, the Jets got it wrong in Morton's first opportunity to call plays in the NFL. He lacked prior relationships with the players and "didn't know any of the coaches," he said, when he was hired as offensive coordinator in 2017. He compared it to trying to prepare your favorite meal without the most reliable ingredients. He also inherited an offense that ranked 30th in scoring the year prior and would start Josh McCown at quarterback. He was done after one season in which the Jets went 5-11.
“I wasn’t ready back then, and it was a tough situation," Morton said. "Listen, we didn’t win enough games. Bottom line, it's all about wins. This situation is going to be an easier transition for me. I’ve been around the quarterback position now, I understand that. I know the players. A lot of the coaches know me. A lot of the players are going to know me. I’ve been preparing that if I get another chance, I’ll be ready. Ever since that opportunity, I just learned from that and I (moved) on. I don’t hold grudges against anybody or nothing."
Morton essentially walked into the Jets job blind. The backdrop in Detroit is "totally different," he said. For one, "I have a feel, and the way Dan put this staff together, we’re all going to have the same vision."
"It’s all about teaching, communicating, recognizing the situation, and then executing it," he said. "When you think about those things in every situation, as long as we’re on the same page, I think we’ll have success. It’s just about talking about it all the time. The only way you’re going to be great in this league is being consistent in everything that you do. ... You have great players, and then it’s just about us putting them in the right position to have success."
The players are the other difference in Detroit. Morton has stars at every position. The Lions scored the most points per game (33.2) in the NFL last season, nearly double what the Jets averaged the year prior to Morton's arrival. They've had a top-five offense for three years running, as they try to chase down a Super Bowl. Morton, 55, grinned at the thought of all the mouths to feed and said, "It's fun, isn't it?"
"I'm like a kid in the candy store. I mean, it's Christmas all over again," he said. "But I love that part. I live for game-planning, all the way up to the game. I'll stay all day, all night, looking for that play to help us win. That's what drives me, and it's really cool when you got all these pieces and the defense has to prepare for a lot."
A football story that started in Auburn Hills has led to this moment. A coaching path shaped by Jon Gruden, Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton has reached its defining stop. It happens to be in Morton's backyard, about a half-hour from his old high school that neighbored the Silverdome. Morton has only ever wanted to be an offensive coordinator, and he's "always prepared" like one, he said, "ready to call the game." Now he gets to do it in his town, for his team.
"It's a dream, right?" he said. "I know what the people have been starving for."
They are his people and this is his purpose, to help the Lions craft history.