The Detroit Lions have a huge game on Sunday. The Lions will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs. With a win, the Lions would play in their first NFC championship game since Jan. 1992.
Detroit’s opponent in 1992 was the then-Washington Redskins. Washington defeated Detroit 41-10 and would go on to win Super Bowl XXVI.
These days, the Lions and Washington are connected by Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson is reportedly the Commanders’ top target for their vacant head coaching position.
This week, Johnson was asked if he knew Washington’s new GM Adam Peters. Also, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell discussed why Johnson was ready for the next step in his coaching career.
Someone who knows both Campbell and Johnson well is former Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin. It was Philbin who brought Campbell and Johnson together in 2012. When Philbin was hired as Miami’s head coach in 2012, he inherited Campbell as his tight ends coach.
When Philbin put together his first coaching staff, he hired a then-24-year-old Johnson as an offensive assistant. It was Johnson’s first NFL job after three seasons at Boston College as an offensive assistant.
Philbin recently spoke to Scott Abraham of ABC 7 in Washington, D.C. about Johnson’s progression as a coach.
“Ben was with me all four years I was down there and started off as just a quality control coach, kind of the beginning of the whole journey,” Philbin said. “And really just exceeded expectations in every single assignment that we gave him. He was eventually the assistant quarterbacks coach for me, he and Zac Taylor (Bengals head coach), so he was in pretty good company with those two.”
Taylor began his NFL coaching career on the same staff as Johnson as Miami’s assistant QB coach. After one year in that role, Taylor became the quarterbacks coach with Johnson replacing him in the assistant role. After four more seasons as an assistant coach with three teams, Taylor began his head coaching career with Cincinnati in 2019.
Last week, in his introductory press conference, Peters was asked about the most important trait he looked for in a head coach. He said leadership.
How is Johnson’s leadership?
“Absolutely, I think they developed over time,” Philbin said regarding Johnson’s leadership skills. “But I know the players then held him in high regard, as I’m sure they do in Detroit for much the same reasons. No. 1, I think he’s in coaching for the right reasons; I don’t think it’s all about Ben Johnson, necessarily. I think he really the challenge of helping a player reach his potential as an athlete, as a football player. I think that’s really what makes Ben Johnson tick.”
Washington has competition for Johnson, as he’s interviewed with several other teams, too, and is believed to be Carolina’s top target.
Ben Johnson is the top contender to become the Washington Commanders next head coach.
Only on @7NewsDC, I spoke with the man that gave Ben his first shot in the NFL back in 2012.
Here is Part 1 of my interview with former Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin about Ben Johnson. pic.twitter.com/4lyQGPo0VQ
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) January 19, 2024
