MichiganCardinal

It’s not going to be possible to separate Campbell’s impact from Johnson’s until/unless they separate. My intuition is that they’re both good, but it’s not as if Campbell will ever say “it’s all me”

That might be a contest the Browns can finally win!

The worst was the end when he literally downplayed the Lions excitement, labeling it as “not the story here”…. Because Aaron Rodgers was - wait for it - …. Walking off the field.

They don’t need it the same way the draft doesn’t need to be three days. Doesn’t mean people wouldn’t tune in.

This is the only reason I could see the owners doing it. Yet another event to sell to the public, and in the March/April timeframe that isn’t monetized yet. I don’t think the chronically bad team owners would give the okay though.

I think from 2015-2020, he just didn't want a job in the NFL and was genuinely happy at Michigan. In 2020, the awful season at Michigan made him toxic... If so, this is only his second season trying to get a job in the NFL again. He's burned some bridges in the NFL, but not enough to never get a job again (IMO).

Reviewing the NFL's official hiring, firing, and interview tracker, I was surprised to not see any Lions front office folks on the GM lists for the Titans or Cardinals. Not that I'm complaining, but what the scout team here has done in just two years has been nothing short of remarkable.

I get why teams are intrigued. If I was a Panthers or Colts fan, I would want my team interviewing Ben Johnson. At the same time, I think he would have to absolutely blow me out of the freaking water in that interview to get me to hire him this cycle. For instance, without being in the interview rooms, I think that teams are pretty stupid if they hire Ben Johnson over Jim Harbaugh. On one hand, you've got what could be a good, young, up-and-coming coach who at his best could take my team into the future of the NFL as offensive schemes go. On the other, you have a coach who has gone 44-19-1 as an NFL coach. Even Mike McDaniel, who I agree would be the closest comp to a Ben Johnson hiring, at least came from the Mike Shanahan coaching tree that produced Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, and Sean McVay, and had been with the 49ers for four years. With Ben Johnson, we are talking about a guy who has spent one year as a coordinator (two years with the regime), before which he was on a Matt Patricia coaching staff, before which he was on an Adam Gase coaching staff. There is also the question that's been discussed here, in how much of the offense is him and how much is Dan Campbell. Is a team sure they want to bet the next 2-3 years minimum on someone whose prominent resume point is as the offensive coordinator to an offensive-minded head coach, who is likely himself a finalist for COTY? My point is that hiring Ben Johnson would be a huge gamble in a billion dollar industry. Teams may be willing to take it. But with only five jobs open (so far), I think guys like DeMeco Ryans, Kellen Moore, Dan Quinn, Jim Caldwell, and Jonathan Gannon, who have gone through a few of these cycles now (if not a HC job already) and have a proven track record, have a leg up. That's even before considering teams who may be friendly to Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton. When the dust settles, I don't think he finds a match in this cycle. I do think that if the Lions meet their newfound expectations next season and win the North, both Glenn and Johnson are likely gone.

I still don’t think he goes. Even McVay was an OC for three years in Washington before he got a job. Johnson might end up a finalist somewhere but I still think an NFL ownership team will want more than one year of being an OC at a 9-8 club. I could be wrong. He’s appealing.

Not to be 'that guy', but if roles were reversed and a Lions defender shoved a Packers trainer in Lambeau on national television, for his second ejection of the season, for a very similar act........ he wouldn't get off without a suspension.

Houston can't figure out a one-year plan let alone a five or ten-year plan. It wouldn't surprise me if any one of Young/Levis/Stroud/Richardson ended up being the best QB of the class. All likely worse than Caleb Williams, but that's not a sure thing, and neither is a successful tank. Just watch Major League.

With so many in need, there are plenty of options. I could see it being the Raiders if they start a full scale tear down.

I like it. International games should be scheduled around bye weeks though the same way TNF games aren't but should be. Maybe schedule domestic neutral site games for weeks 1-3 and 16-18, international games in weeks 4-15, and have the schedule go Sunday (neutral site) -> Bye Week -> Thursday Night It would take someone smarter than me (or a computer) to figure that out logistically, but the NFL could be a lot smarter about scheduling its bye weeks. This also doesn't solve anything when the NFL ultimately cuts another preseason game and goes to 18 regular season games in the next CBA.

My intuition right now is that the trades will happen before us and at least three QBs go in the top five. Maybe even an NFL record four. I think two teams will decide a lot for us at #6: Chicago and Arizona. Chicago has basically already put their pick up for auction. I can think of seven or eight teams in the top 16 that might join in on the bidding. They should get a King's ransom for it... Houston is likely to get their QB at #2, and with Indy at #4 and Arizona entering a rebuild? Could see a trade there too. If Chicago drops below us, trading with the Raiders (7), Panthers (9), Titans (11), Jets (13), or Commanders (16) - and doesn't subsequently trade up above us again - that's one less non-QB coming off the board before us. Arizona seems in prime position to take Carter or Anderson, but they really are in disarray as a franchise right now. They're likely to trade DeAndre Hopkins this offseason - could they opt for Smith-Njigba or Quinten Williams to make Kyler happy? It wouldn't shock me. Neither would taking the top offensive lineman to try to keep Kyler healthy. Neither would something off the wall like taking Bijan Robinson. If either or both of Chicago and Arizona stay put and take the top defenders, I think that starts to open up trade possibilities as Stroud/Levis/Richardson slide. That said, there are a lot of scenarios where one of the truly elite defenders with #1 overall potential are still on the board at #6, in which case I would almost certainly stay put.

FWIW he’s not one of Holmes’ guys either. Notwithstanding the offensive line, the prior regime doesn’t exactly have a great track record of finding winning talent, and they may want to find a guy with their vision of an ideal skill set.

Obviously I want to keep Ben Johnson, but I'm not sure Dan Campbell gets enough credit for the offensive output this season, particularly with regards to Goff. The decision on play-caller wasn't even made (at least publicly) until the lead up to the opener. If I remember correctly, it was a joint effort in the preseason. Further, this offensive turnaround didn't start when Ben Johnson became OC, it started when Dan Campbell took over for Anthony Lynn, last season. I'll never forget our first win of this regime, when Jared Goff threw a buzzer beater to beat Minnesota, and instead of celebrating with ASB and his offense, he ran and bear hugged Dan Campbell. Ben Johnson is a brilliant guy. I love his creativity, and I'd love to see what he can do with a full offseason of work with Goff, Jamo, Swift, and ASB, in addition to a rookie class... At the same time, I also think that Dan Campbell is the real puppet master here, and that the offense starts with him.

They're owned by Disney. Corporate came down and said kneecapping isn't "family friendly" and to knock them down a few pegs.

In fairness to Brown, he wasn't even supposed to be the backup guard until Tommy Kraemer went down in preseason too.... also with a back injury.... Let's just wrap the offensive line in bubble wrap until September.

Vaitai's health has to be a question mark as well. He had back surgery. You don't want to restructure his deal, watch Brown walk away, and then have him re-aggravate it in training camp and he's gone again. They got burned with a back injury with Levi. Didn't seem like much in college but just kept knocking him out when he went pro. Backs are tricky things, especially when you're an interior lineman being asked to run into a brick wall every play.

Aubrey Pleasant was relying on those kicks being made as a part of his game plan. 😆

If we had a Hanson or Prater, the Bills game may have turned out completely differently. The 29-yarder he missed was the difference in the game, despite the Lions having a chance to win late. Likewise against Seattle, where Dominick Eberle (remember him??) missed two extra points. Having a reliable kicker is an absolute must in a sport where there are only 17 games, and many of them are decided by one score. I think Badgley was a satisfactory band-aid over the gaping hole at kicker, but I don't think he is any sort of long-term solution. He's not reliable past 50 yards, and when this team is really good (as soon as next year), I don't want to be faced with a 4th & 10 late in the game on the opponent's 40 where we have to make a decision to either go for it or punt. I want to put the next Evan McPherson out there and know he's going to drill that mofo through.

Long but worth it. He's rather candid at time, with just the right amount of politician speak.

I think when you’re engaging in a full scale tear down and rebuild, like Holmes needed to when taking over from Quinn, you don’t need to even think about need when you start, because everything is a need. You just need foundational pieces and talent. That’s more likely to come from a OT, Edge, and WR (his three 1sts so far) than a TE, but at the end of the day you just need to start somewhere. Two drafts later now, not that we are one piece away, but you’re able to start evaluating the roster more comprehensively. What pieces are here to stay? Where do we still need to upgrade? What do I need to worry about two seasons from now? Where do I need depth? That’s “need” to an extent, but I think it’s also just a map for building a good team.

Listening to 97.1 today someone mentioned the possibility of the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl and the Lions/Chiefs game at Arrowhead being the NFL opener. This wouldn't surprise me at all. The Lions are likely going to get a lot of national love this offseason and are probably going to be the odds on favorites to win the NFC North.