Lions' Johnson on head coach role: 'A fire there'

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions violative coordinator Ben Johnson has entertained aggregate caput coaching vacancies successful caller years, but yet decided to enactment while trying to triumph a Super Bowl pinch caput coach Dan Campbell.

Per ESPN's Dan Graziano, the Chicago Bears, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are each expected to person Johnson connected their radar arsenic a apical caput coach candidate, though he hasn't been offered a domiciled yet. And arsenic the Lions hole to look the Bears connected Sunday, Johnson admits that he has a "burning desire" to go 1 someday - but only nether the correct circumstances.

"Yeah, I'd opportunity this, I deliberation there's a burning desire successful each man to find what he's made retired of, push the limits and spot if he's sewage what it takes," Johnson said Thursday. "So, yeah, there's a occurrence there. Now, erstwhile that clip is, I don't cognize erstwhile that'll be, but there's surely a occurrence there."

At 12-2 successful Detroit, Johnson's imaginative playcalling and violative brilliance person remained successful the spotlight, pinch the Lions averaging a league-high 31.8 points per game. Although Johnson was viewed arsenic a apical coaching campaigner past offseason, he chose to stay successful Detroit alternatively than prosecute the head-coaching vacancies for the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawks, which amazed convention executives.

Following the 2022 season, he besides interviewed pinch the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, and was scheduled to meet pinch the Panthers successful Charlotte earlier informing Detroit he would beryllium returning arsenic the violative coordinator.

Now, Johnson feels much prepared to prosecute a bigger domiciled aft experiencing the wide process but won't beryllium rushing anything, he said.

"Last mates of years, you get thrown successful the coordinator role, things get connected you fast, and you don't really person clip to deliberation astir the early a full lot," Johnson said. "Now that I've been done the ringer a mates of times, had immoderate interviews, I surely do consciousness much prepared conscionable from a large image standpoint.

"But correct now, we've sewage 3 games near successful the regular season, going into the postseason, and honestly this is why I'm here. This is why I wanted to beryllium here. I person an responsibility to the group successful the building to beryllium correct wherever my feet are and erstwhile I locomotion successful and I spot the coaches staying agelong nights and moving arsenic difficult arsenic they're doing, and I travel successful and I spot the guys, the players, successful the gathering room and connected the believe field, attacking each time for illustration they are, it's difficult for my mind to rotation overmuch beyond what we're doing successful the present and now."

Johnson, 38, was named a finalist for AP Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2nd consecutive play successful 2023. This season, Detroit has scored 40-plus points successful 5 games, which ties the franchise grounds for the astir 40-point games successful a play group successful 1952. They've besides scored 20-or-more points for 12 consecutive games.

On galore occasions, including a Nov. 15 practice, Campbell has admitted to preparing his staff, including protect coordinator Aaron Glenn and typical teams coordinator Dave Fipp, to go caput coaches someday.

In the midst of Detroit's champion commencement successful squad history, Campbell said he's savoring the team's occurrence pinch his coaching unit successful spot for the infinitesimal because he's assured they'll receiver different opportunities.

"This is simply a typical squad and it's a typical staff, and it's been that measurement since the beginning, it really has been. And so, yeah, I perfectly do," Campbell said. "I'm fortunate, I'm blessed, I'm thankful that I person the coordinators, counting (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp arsenic well, each 3 of those guys are superstars. And yeah, I do, and I cognize - hey, erstwhile it's over, it's over, but we're going to make the astir of it until that clip comes."