Ben Johnson probably could be a head coach right now. The Lions offensive coordinator interviewed for vacancies with the Panthers, Colts and Texans last month and was reportedly the leading candidate in Carolina. Instead, Johnson decided to stay in Detroit.
"It’s really simple for me," Johnson told the Twentyman in the Huddle podcast. "It starts with this place and these people."
Johnson pointed to owner Sheila Ford Hamp, president Rod Wood, GM Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell and said he believes in what they're doing: "It starts at the top and I think it’s trickled down. This is as encouraged as I’ve been in my four years here with the direction of the Lions and where we’re headed."
Johnson, 36, also got some inspiration three years ago from country music superstar Garth Brooks, who showed him what Detroit could look like when the Lions start winning. (And now multiply it by 10.) After his first season with the Lions when he was an offensive quality control coach under Matt Patricia, Johnson went to a Brooks concert that drew 70,000 people to Ford Field.
For Johnson, it stirred up feelings that he wants to recapture -- like trying to fall asleep again after a good dream. He said he thought about that frequently as he mulled his future in Detroit.
"I remember sitting there thinking at the time, I was just soaking it in, the atmosphere, and it was like, holy cow, this is what a home playoff game is going to be like and this is what I want to be a part of. This is what I want to feel, this is what I want to experience. It made me feel some type of way, and I kept going back on that as part of the process," Johnson said.
Johnson got another glimpse of that future last season when the Lions went 8-2 down the stretch, in large part because of one of the best offenses in the NFL. In his first season as coordinator and play-caller, Johnson led a unit that ranked fourth in the league in yards and fifth in points.
He quickly became one of the hottest names on the head coaching market and was a particular hit after his first interview with Panthers owner David Tepper. Johnson was scheduled to fly to Carolina for a follow-up interview with Tepper before deciding to see things through in Detroit.
"There’s so many good things going on here, so many good people, coaches, players," he said. "I love the offensive staff, everyone that we have on board there. I love the players, love coming into work every day, Coach Campbell is incredible. So end of the day, talking with my family, it made sense. It made sense. Don’t ruin a good thing."
Some unfinished business?
"That's right," said Johnson. "That's 100 percent true."
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