Story by
How Dan Campbell has helped Lions coordinators prepare for inevitable head coaching jobs
- Story by
- How Dan Campbell has helped Lions coordinators prepare for inevitable head coaching jobs
Soon, Dan Campbell will have his own coaching tree, and the two men likely to sprout its first branches said Thursday they've learned very important lessons from their time under the Detroit Lions head coach.
"He's the best leader I've been around, I think, regardless of whichever sport I've been a part of," Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. "It's really impressive what he's been able to do. Being true to himself, demanding. He's results driven, but yet his way of delivering a message and getting it across, what to say, how to say it at the right time, it's really unique and it's special."
Advertisement
Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are two of the hottest coaching candidates on this year's still evolving job market, with nine interview requests between them.
Johnson reportedly has interview requests from five different teams : The Atlanta Falcons , Carolina Panthers , Los Angeles Chargers , Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders .
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches warm up before the Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.
JUST FOR KICKS: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Maurice Alexander in punt return mix
Glenn has requests from all of those teams but the Chargers.
The Seattle Seahawks , New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders also have job openings, though none of those three teams are known to have made formal interview requests yet.
Advertisement
Glenn said Thursday he plans to take all of his interviews, while Johnson said he doesn't know yet which teams he will interview with.
Because the Lions open the playoffs Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams , Johnson and Glenn cannot interview with teams until next week, and only then can interview virtually.
New NFL rules prohibit in-person interviews with personnel currently employed by other NFL teams until the week of Jan. 22.
"Listen, I'm flattered by the interview requests, I really am," Glenn said. "And man, I do not want this to sound like coach-speak, but I try to focus on the main thing for this team, for this organization, because this is a big deal for us. And to be able to go out there and beat this team, which is a good team, is huge. So, I'm going to be honest with you, man, I'm really, really focused on how we're going to play defensively against this team and then, as a whole, as an overall team, how do we make sure we complement each other and go out there and try to win this game?"
Advertisement
IT'S BEEN A WHILE: Lions own longest active playoff drought in 4 major North American sports leagues
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn reacts prior to the regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on Jan. 7, 2024 in Detroit.
Glenn has spent eight seasons coaching with Campbell at two different spots, the Lions and New Orleans Saints , and was one of Campbell's first hires in Detroit in 2021.
The two share an alma matter in Texas A&M and played one season together with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005.
Glenn said the most important thing he's learned from coaching with Campbell in Detroit has been the importance of collaboration between head coach, general manager and owner to a team's success .
"And making sure that, that vision, that collective vision is the same," Glenn said. "Because once that's intact and you keep — all three of you guys, or women, are saying the same thing, that feeds down to the staff, then that feeds down to the players. And man, they just hear the same vision over and over again and you talk about coach. A coach is about people and you bring the right people in, you're going to have the right culture."
Advertisement
Glenn, who worked with Falcons GM Terry Fontenot in New Orleans , ranked first in a recent NFL Players Association survey of coordinators players would like to play for.
The Lions ranked 19th in total defense and 23rd in scoring defense this season, and Glenn earns high marks from players for his leadership and organization.
"There are a lot of different ways that I've grown (the past three years) and it's too much to actually sit here and talk about," Glenn said. "But understanding how to collaborate with the GM, understanding how to speak with your owner and more or less, understanding how to relate with your players, which is not an issue for me at all, because I'm just going to be myself. And I think that's one thing that the players see is, listen, I'm no fake. And the thing that players do, they can point out a fake and there's nothing fake about me."
CARLOS MONARREZ: Matthew Stafford understands he's 'the bad guy coming to town,' which will only help him
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and head coach Dan Campbell on the sidelines during action against the Carolina Panthers at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Oct, 8, 2023.
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, who ranked fourth in the NFLPA survey, said he has no interest in being a future head coach but is "excited" for the opportunities that await both Glenn and Johnson.
Advertisement
"Ben and I go back to Miami when he was quality control, banging around trying to make it," said Fipp, who worked with both Johnson and Campbell with the Dolphins . "Seeing him go through that whole process is just incredible and seeing him now today, he's King Kong and everyone wants him, and it's great, though. It's great to see because he's always been incredible in my book. I mean, the guy's an amazing coach, he's a great person, he's extremely gifted and talented in what he does, and he does it the right way, and he's had to go the hard route, which I think's only going to make him better when he gets his opportunity."
The Lions have not had an assistant be hired directly as head coach since Chuck Knox in 1973.
Johnson called it "awesome" and "quite an honor" to have so many teams interested in interviewing him, and he said working with Campbell has helped prepare him for future jobs.
"I think it's hard to replicate to be honest with you, but more than anything it's really just being comfortable in his own skin and trusting and empowering those around him," Johnson said. "He's created an environment here as coordinators, as position coaches, as players that we are very comfortable and it helps us be the best that we can be at our jobs."
Advertisement
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dan Campbell's coaching tree is about to sprout its first branches
