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Interviews mount, but 'nothing's more important than the game plan' for Detroit Lions coordinators
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- Interviews mount, but 'nothing's more important than the game plan' for Detroit Lions coordinators
Ben Johnson has a routine.
Every Friday after practice, with the week's game plan 90-95% done, the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator picks his daughter up from school and heads home to goof around in the basement.
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This week, daddy-daughter time will have to wait.
Johnson has a weekend full of interview requests and precious little time to try and squeeze all of them in. Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday he's asked his coordinators to conduct their head coaching interviews either after practice Friday or between the Lions' morning walkthrough and night meetings Saturday.
The Lions host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a divisional round playoff game at 3 p.m. Sunday at Ford Field.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson makes a pass during training camp at Detroit Lions Headquarters and Training Facility in Allen Park on Monday, July 24, 2023.
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Johnson has interview requests from six teams: The Atlanta Falcons , Carolina Panthers , Los Angeles Chargers , Seattle Seahawks , Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders . Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has requests from all of those teams but the Panthers and Seahawks.
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Glenn said Thursday none of his interview days and times have been confirmed yet, while Johnson has virtual interviews scheduled Friday with the Commanders and Panthers and Saturday with the Chargers and Seahawks, according to NFL.com.
Teams cannot host in-person interviews with candidates employed by other teams until Jan. 22, and only then if their teams are out of the playoffs.
Johnson appeared to get a tad choked up Thursday when asked how he'll fit interviews into his already-busy schedule.
"The truth is, it gets taken away from somewhere and so it gets taken away from family a little bit, and so it's not the easy thing to say," Johnson said.
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While Glenn has said he intends to fulfill all of his interview requests, Johnson may not have the time to meet with all six of his potential suitors.
Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn watches a play during the first half of the 24-23 win over the Rams in the playoffs at Ford Field on Sunday, Jan, 14, 2024.
Johnson said he's left "other people" to prioritize his interview schedule, with the directive that everything take a backseat until the game plan is largely finalized after practice Thursday.
"That's been told to everybody I've been around," he said. "Nothing's more important than the game plan."
Glenn said he has taken a similar approach of making sure "the main thing is the main thing" this week, and that interviews come second to preparing for Sunday's game.
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"Man, we're trying to beat Tampa ," he said. "This is an opportunity for all of us as an organization, as a staff, as players to get a chance to compete for the Super Bowl. So, the thing we've got to make sure we put everything we can into winning this game right here, and for me, that's the most important thing."
Johnson has been reluctant to talk about job openings dating back to last fall, but he is considered the front runner for jobs with the Commanders and Panthers. The Commanders are widely considered one of the best available jobs, with a new owner, new general manager and the No. 2 pick in the draft, while Johnson is from North Carolina and turned down an interview request with the Panthers last year .
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Asked Thursday about his relationship with new Commanders GM Adam Peters, Johnson said he knows Peters "just very briefly."
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"I've heard nothing but fantastic things about people that have worked with him directly or have met him over the course of scouting on the road," he said. "So, look forward to meeting them and talking more."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Ben Johnson 'looking forward to' interview with Commanders
