At the NFL Scouting Combine, Ben Johnson appeared to take a subtle dig at the Detroit Lions, and some players aren\u2019t pleased about it.<\/p>\n
The Lions face significant challenges this season as their coaching staff undergoes major changes. Most notably, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson departed for the Chicago Bears, while defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn took a job with the New York Jets. As a result, Detroit\u2019s top coaching positions will look very different compared to last year.<\/p>\n
During this week\u2019s NFL Scouting Combine, Johnson made remarks that seemed to slight the Lions, leading to frustration among some of the team\u2019s players. Can you blame them?<\/p>\n
Speaking with reporters in Indianapolis on Tuesday, February 25, Johnson praised his new quarterback, Caleb Williams, emphasizing the player\u2019s unique skill set. However, in doing so, he appeared to take a jab at his former team.<\/p>\n
\u201cOut of structure, the off-schedule, the creation\u2026that\u2019s what stands out the most because that\u2019s really the way that this league is going right now,\u201d Johnson said about Williams. \u201cIt seems like as much as you want to make it pure progression, one to two to three, there\u2019s just too much variety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the comment that rubbed people the wrong way. Johnson continued, \u201cThe pass rush is coming down, and to have an athlete like Caleb extend the play and potentially find an explosive down the field. That\u2019s what gets me going a little bit. I get excited thinking about that because I haven\u2019t been around that since I\u2019ve been in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hasn\u2019t been around that since he\u2019s been in the league? Williams and Lions quarterback Jared Goff certainly have different styles\u2014Williams is mobile, while Goff is a more traditional pocket passer. But it\u2019s hard to overlook the fact that Goff had an outstanding season last year, setting multiple NFL and franchise records.<\/p>\n
Johnson also criticized Detroit\u2019s defense, pointing out their struggles against quarterbacks who extend plays outside the pocket. Despite the Lions defeating the Bears in both matchups last season, Williams put up impressive numbers\u2014throwing for 590 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while also rushing 10 times for 73 yards.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been on the other side, and I\u2019ve experienced it,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt\u2019s demoralizing when you\u2019re on the other side and you\u2019re watching that happen to your defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Essentially, Johnson suggested that defending a quarterback like Williams is more challenging than facing a pocket passer like Goff.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, some Lions players didn\u2019t take kindly to his remarks. Defenders Kerby Joseph and Amik Robertson made their feelings known on social media. Joseph shared a picture of Peter Griffin lurking, a not-so-subtle response to Johnson\u2019s comments. Meanwhile, Robertson quoted the post, adding, \u201cYah feel me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
So, while Johnson may be thrilled about his new quarterback, his words are likely fueling Detroit\u2019s determination to shut down Chicago next season and keep Williams in check.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lions React to Ben Johnson\u2019s Comments About Detroit At the NFL Scouting Combine, Ben Johnson appeared to take a subtle dig at the Detroit Lions, and some players aren\u2019t pleased about it. The Lions face significant challenges this season as their coaching staff undergoes major changes. Most notably, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson departed for the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[378],"tags":[2007],"class_list":["post-27103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-detroit-lions","tag-ben-johnson"],"yoast_head":"\n