Pats needed an answer to this key question during Ben Johnson interview originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots announced Friday that they had completed an interview for their head coaching vacancy with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Earlier this week we wrote that Johnson was at a disadvantage. compared to Mike Vrabel (the other top candidate interviewed by the Patriots this week) for a variety of reasons. The main one? He is an unknown asset as a leader of a coaching staff.
After speaking with multiple league sources, one question that arose when it came to projecting Johnson as a head coach was this: How exactly would he handle his time as a play-calling head coach?
Johnson is considered by those who know him to be a brilliant offensive mind.
“So good of a coach,” said a former colleague. “Demanding. Hard to work for. Smart as (expletive).”
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Johnson’s track record as an offensive coordinator in Detroit speaks for itself. You can afford to be picky when it comes to your next landing spot, and you have been. He reportedly came close to taking over as Washington’s manager last year before opting to return to the Lions for another season. They are now in possession of a historically efficient offense and the number 1 spot in the NFC.
The Patriots job is one he would covet, thanks in part to the presence of 22-year-old quarterback Drake Maye. And the Patriots have interest in him. doing his fourth interview this week after speaking with Vrabel, Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich.
The team’s interview with Johnson had to be conducted, as a rule, via video conference and was limited to three hours in length. Did you get a good idea of Johnson’s philosophy as a head coach? Did you like the sound of your projected list of attendees? And did they come to understand how the many responsibilities associated with the job would be divvied up if Johnson is going to continue calling plays?
Johnson has a reputation as an extremely diligent worker and someone who is not afraid to add more to his plate if something under his purview is not up to his standards. He expects a lot from his players and coaches on Detroit’s offensive end. But how well will you delegate to a new, more encompassing role? As you strive to achieve the perfect game plan offensively week in and week out, when will you have time for the countless knocks on your door as the go-to person for final calls on the broader day-to-day football operation?
Questions about how Johnson will handle the media in New England are important. Some see him as an introvert compared to some of his fellow coaches. Maybe you’d rather operate behind the scenes and tinker with your plan than be behind a microphone. As head coach of the Patriots, he would have to deal with a rabid, restless fan base in a media market that covers the team relentlessly. It’s not that you’re considered incapable of doing that part of your next job. You will have to work at it.
But if there really was room for the Krafts to be “impressed” on Friday, the answers to those questions about how it will allocate a deep but limited energy supply, and who it will lean on most to share the workload, get to the core of how it will make this transition. from running an offense to running a team, may have been Johnson’s path.