Lions losing Ben Johnson to rival Bears is big ‘body blow,’ Super Bowl champion says
Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left the team to take the Chicago Bears’ head coaching job Monday.
Super Bowl champion Lomas Brown talked about what Lions fans are going through losing their top coordinator after a crushing playoff loss during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich.”
“I know it’s another body blow. You know that old game, body blow, body blow. … That was a big one yesterday,” Brown said. “All of them on talk radio, that was the subject yesterday, Ben Johnson leaving. Oh my god, you got so many fans upset at Ben about taking the Chicago job. I think it’s more, not him leaving, but more of the job that he is accepting because of how bitter rivals we are with Chicago.
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“Now, we got to face him twice a year. That just made the division even harder with Ben Johnson going in there. And a lot of sentiment before he took the job was that Ben wouldn’t take that job because he knew he would have to go up against his good friend Dan Campbell twice a year. But he took it. A lot of people not happy with it around here.”
The No. 1-seeded Lions were upset by the No. 6-seeded Washington Commanders, 45-31, Saturday.
Brown said losing Johnson, especially to a division rival, and potentially other top assistants make the loss to the Commanders hurt that much more.
“A lot of people not happy with it around here, and I think that it’s, again, I just think a lot of that’s from the results of the game, and just everything that’s going on the last few days around here. It’s culminating with Ben Johnson taking the job and, d—, we’re going to lose other assistants,” Brown said.
“I mean Aaron Glenn, you talk about maybe (offensive line coach) Hank Fraley. It’s other assistants that we’re going to lose off this team. That’s why this was the year for us to get it done.”
Glenn was scheduled to interview with the New York Jets for the second time for their head coaching position Tuesday, according to NFL Network.
Tuesday’s interview will be the first in-person meeting between the Jets and Glenn.
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Fraley is being interviewed for the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator position Tuesday, according to ESPN. It will be Fraley’s second interview with the team and their first in-person interview.
Brown spent 18 seasons in the NFL and was with the Lions for 11 of them. Brown was a star left tackle and made the Pro Bowl seven consecutive seasons from 1990-1996.
Brown won a Super Bowl in his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002.
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