Lions star reveals what Ben Johnson said about surprising return
Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, surprised everyone by choosing to stay in his current position rather than take on head coaching duties. His message is evident, at least to one Lions star.
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown stated in his weekly podcast, “St. Brown Brothers,” that he had a conversation with Johnson on Tuesday prior to the offensive coordinator making Johnson’s comeback official. Johnson expressed his desire to remain in Detroit and his sense of “unfinished business” to St. Brown.
“I’m like, ‘So what’s up with you, you did an interview, like, are you leaving?’” St. Brown said, as transcribed by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “He’s like, ‘You know what, I’m on my way to the facility right now.’ He said he couldn’t sleep last night. He was thinking about it and he said ‘There’s unfinished business.’ He wants to stay. … He said his heart is in Detroit, he wants to stay. So he told me that while he was on his way to the facility.”
If the Lions had lost the NFC Championship in a different way, Johnson might have felt differently, but instead they let San Francisco lead 24-7 at halftime. Maybe that’s what made it too difficult for Johnson to leave at this point.
According to certain reports, Johnson’s lack of success as a head coach was due to financial difficulties. The talk of “unfinished business” may be a smoke screen, but Lions supporters will take that as the explanation no matter what.
Chris Russo continues his crusade against Dan Campbell, analytics
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo isn’t letting the analytics-obsessed Detroit Lions off the hook, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Russo doubled down on his initial criticism just a few days after taking aim at Lions head coach Dan Campbell and the “data freaks” on his Sirius XM show. He questioned the team’s decision to forgo field goals and, in his characteristically passionate manner, made references to legendary coach Vince Lombardi and Packers announcer Ray Scott.
“It’s a fourth-and-3 at the 28-yard line, and this guy decides to go for it when a field goal gives you a three-score lead? It’s 24-10 in the fourth quarter,” Russo said. “League to you now, the Lion fan is ill. This is a franchise with no Super Bowl experience. America wants to see the Lions, and they had the Niners dead to (inaudible). In any case, I do not want to see San Francisco. Detroit was what we desired!
Jeff Saturday offered an additional viewpoint in the ongoing discussion concerning football’s use of analytics versus gut feeling:
He highlighted the Detroit Lions’ success on fourth down conversions in response to Russo’s scathing critique of their analytics-driven coaching. Nate Atkins brought up the fact that the Lions finished the regular season with a perfect 2-for-2 record and boasted a strong 75% conversion rate (15 out of 20) on fourth and three or fewer attempts.
On Saturday, though, the Lions’ kicking problems weren’t avoided. He made special reference to Michael Badgley, the “bad kicker,” whose career field goal percentage from 28 yards and beyond is a pitiful 45% (9 out of 20). Badgley is the worst high-volume kicker in NFL history within that range, according to this alarming statistic.
“Oh, what nonsense.You know what he was from the 40s last year? 11-of-13, and the week prior he kicked a 54-yard field goal against Tampa,” Russo remarked. “What the heck are you doing, Dan Campbell? Since you represent Detroit and all that nonsense, we know you’re a nice guy. That was the most repulsive postseason play performance I have ever witnessed.
