Tag: Ben Johnson

Adam Schefter says Commanders open to everything in the draft, including moving back

Schefter was the only right right about Ben Johnson and Washington. He also talks Kirk Cousins’ future.

Remember when everyone assumed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would be the next head coach of the Washington Commanders?

Most believed it was a foregone conclusion that the Commanders would hire Johnson as head coach as soon as Detroit’s ended. Almost every NFL insider, former player, etc., went on record calling Johnson to Washington.

Except one.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter proved once again that when it comes to breaking NFL news, he is the king. Schefter went on an episode of the “Pat McAfee Show” to tell everyone on Johnson to Washington: “Not so fast.”

“I’m not convinced yet that Ben Johnson is getting the Commanders’ job,” he said. “I know people have said that he is the presumptive favorite, and he may get the job; he very well may; he is in contention, but that is not a slam dunk at all right now. They are definitely looking at other people, as well.”

Schefter couldn’couldn’t have been more spot-on, as Johnson withdrew from consideration after multiple reports stated his first interview didn’t didn’t go particularly well. And he did so while the Commanders were on a plane to visit him.

What’s the takeaway here? Trust Schefter.

So, why the lesson on trusting Schefter today?

In his latest appearance on McAfee’s show, Schefter wrapped up news on the NFL combine, including how he thinks the top of the 2024 NFL draft will go. He still believes Caleb Williams is going No. 1 overall to the Bears. He’s maintained that stance for weeks. 

What about Washington at No. 2?

“I think Washington is going to be open to anything, including moving back in the draft,” Schefter said Monday. “So there’s going to be a team that doesn’t get Kirk Cousins. And it certainly sounds like right now Kirk Cousins will have, as his primary two options, Atlanta and Minnesota; maybe Washington jumps in.”

Is it”possible that Washington is telling Schefter they are open for business as a way to see if other teams will approach them with a historical haul? Certainly, but even if the Commanders love one or two of the top quarterbacks, you at least must listen to other teams.

The most interesting takeaway from Schefter: Cousins. He’s noHe’se first to mention Cousins and Washington, but he’s thhe’sst prominent. It seems unlikely, but remember, money is not a problem for the Commanders. They have the second-most salary cap in the NFL. And if Washington did sign Cousins, that No. 2 pick is absolutely open for business.

Free agency opens next week, and it sounds like if Cousins leaves the Vikings, it will be for the Falcons. But never say never in the NFL, particularly when Adam Schefter talks.

Ben Johnson brings his offensive magic to the Red Wings

Lions OC Ben Johnson brings his offensive magic to the Detroit Red Wings against the Blues

Ben Johnson is known for creating brilliant offense for the Detroit Lions. It turns out Johnson, the Lions’ offensive coordinator, can also help the Detroit Red Wings light up the scoreboard.

Johnson sounded the opening goal horn at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday for Detroit’s NHL matchup with the St. Louis Blues. He must have brought some magic, too; the Red Wings jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, scoring on three of their first seven shots.

 

But wait, there’s more…

And more, just for good measure:

But wait, there’s more!

Maybe the Pistons can find an offensive spark by bringing Johnson in as a guest coach for a game …

Former Lions QB David Blough joins Washington Commanders coaching staff

Blough spent the 2023 season on the Lions practice squad

Turns out someone is joining the Washington Commanders coaching staff from the Lions after all. After Ben Johnson decided to stay in Detroit instead of taking the Commanders head coach position they hired Dan Quinn from the Dallas Cowboys. Quinn has been building up his staff and his new assistant quarterbacks coach is former Lions quarterback David Blough.

Blough finished the 2023 season on the Lions practice squad while also serving as the third quarterback for the team.

Blough had previously been on the Lions from 2019 to 2021. His cutting from the roster was filmed on Hard Knocks, from there he would bounce around on the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals rosters.

Outside of football, Blough also had his wife, Melissa Gonzalez, compete in trials for the Olympics on the show with his reaction going viral in the process.

Lions coach Dan Campbell had always praised Blough for his professionalism and ability to be prepared. That type of professionalism is why he is now transitioning to the coaching ranks. He will serve as the assistant quarterbacks coach under Tavita Pritchard and Kliff Kingsbury.

Lions ranked among top three teams for 2024

The Lions rank among top teams for 2024

The Detroit Lions came as close as ever this season to making their first Super Bowl. Coach Dan Campbell said in the aftermath of the NFC title game loss to the 49ers that it is very unlikely this team makes it this far again based on how this league goes about things. After some critical personnel decided to stay in Detroit, and with their salary cap situation looking more positive than ever, perhaps Campbell was a tad critical.

In the wake of the Chiefs’ second straight Super Bowl win, the “NFL on Fox Podcast” discussed this week who the top teams are heading into the new season. They mentioned the Chiefs and 49ers at the top, which makes sense, but they threw in the Lions as their third-best team.

Campbell has shown he can be one of the best coaches in the league and can build a more-than-capable staff. Both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn could have left for head coaching jobs elsewhere but instead decided to stay in the Motor City to build something special.

Quarterback Jared Goff is returning for his fourth year with the team. The offense looks to be ready to keep growing, led by running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The defense, led by edge rusher Aidan Hutchison, is taking the necessary steps to get better.

With the right offseason moves by GM Brad Holmes, this team could easily jump past the 49ers in terms of expectations for next season.

Josh Harris explains process that led to Commanders hiring Dan Quinn

Josh Harris talks about Dan Quinn’s ability to attract quality people to Washington.

It’s been a busy month for Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris. After firing head coach Ron Rivera last month, Harris announced an advisory committee to find Washington’s next general manager and head coach.

Harris said the organization’s search would be rapid but thorough. That proved true in the GM search, as Washington identified five candidates and completed the search within the week. The Commanders landed their top target, former 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters.

The head coaching search would be a bit different. There were more candidates, and the interview windows were different for teams still alive in the playoffs. That meant Washington would have to wait on most of its candidates.

There was an assumption by many that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was the top target. The Commanders have insisted otherwise, saying the process was open throughout. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as Johnson withdrew from consideration as Washington brass was on a plane to see him in Detroit.

In an interview with Chick Hernandez of WUSA9 in Washington, D.C., Harris was asked about Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

“Yeah, the internet works up in the air,” Harris said with a smile when asked about learning of Johnson withdrawing his name from consideration before quickly turning his attention to finding the right coach.

The right coach for Washington was former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

“Listen, we, uh, identified Dan very early,” Harris said of Quinn. “I mean, you heard a lot of it up there in terms of his ability to lead, to motivate. There’s a small, as he was talking, I was thinking about the small fraternity of players, the small fraternity of coaches and to be elite, you’ve got to track elite people. Right. And so his ability to track those people really stood out to us.”

Harris then praised the connection between Peters and Quinn.

“So we identified him, and listen, there were a lot of qualified candidates who went through a very thorough process and, you know, we ended up with our guy,” Harris said.

Quinn’s ability to attract good people to work with him has already shown up on his coaching staff. The Commanders are building a high-quality staff, having landed Kliff Kingsbury (offensive coordinator), Joe Whitt Jr. (defensive coordinator), Larry Izzo (special teams coordinator), Ken Norton (linebackers), Brian Johnson (offensive assistant/title TBD), Jason Simmons (defensive pass game coordinator) and John Pagano (senior defensive assistant) with several openings remaining.

Harris or Washington do not care about the perception that Quinn wasn’t the top target. Fans shouldn’t either. Quinn looks to be a perfect fit with the Commanders, particularly with Peters, which is an important relationship.

 

“,” Harris told Chick Hernandez of WUSA9 in Washington, D.C. “

6 reasons why Commanders’ fans should be excited about Dan Quinn

Quinn may not have been the fan’s first choice, but he was Adam Peters’ pick and that should excite fans.

The Washington Commanders introduced new head coach Dan Quinn on Monday, and he spoke to the media, answering questions for nearly an hour. While winning the presser is often easy in these situations, it was an excellent first impression from Quinn.

After a fairly quick but thorough process that led Washington to Adam Peters in its general manager search, the coaching search took more time. The Commanders interviewed eight candidates and wanted to wait until after the NFL’s championship games for a second interview with each candidate.

There were twists and turns regarding Washington’s pursuit of Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, but the Commanders ultimately tabbed Quinn as their next head coach.

Before Quinn was chosen as Washington’s head coach, we looked at why fans weren’t excited — right or wrong. Now that fans have heard from Quinn and watched him make his first two staff hires, how are Washington fans feeling now?

We find six reasons why Commanders’ fans should be excited about Quinn.

Ben Johnson ‘turned off’ by Commanders’ owners, calling them ‘basketball guys’

Hopefully, this drama is over and both sides can move forward.

We have finally heard from Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson regarding his opinion on the Washington Commanders after he pulled out of consideration for their head coaching job.

Or have we?

On Saturday, courtesy of Jenna Laine, who covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN, we’ve heard what Johnson thinks of Commanders’ ownership.

Per Laine, he believed Washington’s new owners were “basketball guys” who thought a little too highly of their “football opinions.”

Here’s Laine’s tweet:

This comes after the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo revealed some interesting info on Johnson’s interviews with the Commanders and Seahawks. According to Garafolo, Johnson didn’t do well in his first interview, which caused Washington some hesitation.

After the initial interview, per Garafolo, it caused some concern from Washington’s side, but it wanted to follow through with the second interview. Johnson famously canceled the interview with the Commanders while they were en route to Detroit to meet him.

That didn’t go over too well. Essentially, Garafolo said, Johnson withdrew from two jobs he already knew he wouldn’t get.

Truth or fiction? Who knows.

However, Laine confirmed many of the reports that Johnson did not interview well.

As far as calling Washington’s ownership group “basketball guys,” that one is interesting. New general manager Adam Peters was in on the meeting, as was former Vikings GM Rick Spielman. Sure, owner Josh Harris and minority partners Magic Johnson and David Blitzer are “basketball guys,” but they are also extremely smart businessmen who are experienced sports owners.

Here’s what we think. There is probably truth to a lot of this from both sides. Johnson hasn’t interviewed particularly well, or it would not come from so many different sources. With that being said, he was clearly Washington’s top choice. Perhaps the Commanders did move on from him and wanted him to change their minds in the second meeting to be certain of their collective decision.

How do we know it’s Washington leaking these details? Perhaps it was Seattle or even Carolina. We just don’t know. Before Ron Rivera was fired last month, nearly everyone in the media pegged Johnson to Washington. Something happened. There was too much smoke connecting the two sides.

In all likelihood, Johnson had some support from Washington’s search committee, but others, not so much. So, the Commanders’ brass wanted another interview. It never happened, as Johnson let them know via text that he was no longer interested.

Will that hurt Johnson down the road? Who knows? Turning down these types of opportunities is difficult because you may never be this hot of a candidate again. The most revealing part of this entire process was Johnson being comfortable enough to send a text to Washington brass while they were in the air and on the way to see him, only for him to say he wasn’t interested — via text. That’s a problem. And it’s a bad look.

The Commanders hired Dan Quinn on Thursday, and it’s best for everyone involved to move forward. Ultimately, it’s as simple as these two sides weren’t compatible.

Johnson will never coach in Washington.

Seahawks request interview with Lions assistant for OC job

According to a report by Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated, the Seahawks have requested an interview with Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand for their open offensive coordinator position.

With Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson staying in Detroit, teams that are looking for young offensive minds might try poaching assistants close to him to try to get some of those Ben Johnson vibes for themselves. The Seahawks are at least considering one.

According to a report by Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated, the Seahawks have requested an interview with Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand for their open offensive coordinator position.

Engstrand got his start coaching as part of Jim Harbaugh’s staff at San Diego, eventually moving his way up to assistant head coach. Later, he spent one year with Harbaugh in Michigan then one year in the UFL. He has been with Detroit since the 2021 season.

The Seahawks are also reportedly considering Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb for their OC position. He just spent a couple years in Washington calling plays for Kalen DeBoer and a top-notch Huskies offense.

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Twitter reacts to Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as new Commanders head coach

Is everyone overreacting to the news that Dan Quinn is the Commanders new head coach?

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was in Northern Virginia on Tuesday for his second interview with the Washington Commanders for their vacant head coaching position.

Shortly afterward, Washington boarded a plane to Detroit to interview Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. While the Commanders were in transit to Detroit, Johnson informed them he was withdrawing from consideration.

On Thursday, the Commanders hired Quinn, 53, who was one of eight interviewed for the position.

As expected, fans initially responded to Quinn’s hiring with skepticism, while everyone else in the NFL praised the hire.

We went to X, formerly Twitter, to see some of the best reactions from Washington fans and around the league.

Commanders hire Cowboys DC Dan Quinn as head coach

Dan Quinn gets his second chance as a head coach.

The Washington Commanders have a head coach. On Thursday, Washington hired Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

This is Quinn’s second head coaching opportunity. He served as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015-20, where he finished with a 43-42 record and a 3-2 postseason record. Quinn is best known for being the head coach for the Falcons’ team that blew a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots.

Quinn was fired in 2020 and became the Cowboys defensive coordinator in 2021. In three seasons in charge of the Dallas defense, Quinn led the Cowboys to a top-five finish in defensive DVOA, per FTN.

Quinn, 53, was a standout defensive end at Salisbury University (Maryland) and is in the school’s Hall of Fame. He began his coaching career with William & Mary in 1995.

Quinn’s first NFL opportunity came with San Francisco in 2001, and he served as defensive line coach for the 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, and Seahawks before he took over as Pete Carroll’s defensive coordinator in Seattle in 2013.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was the presumed frontrunner for Washington’s head coaching job but pulled out on Tuesday while the team was on a plane to Detroit for his second interview.