With the Detroit Lions hitting a rough patch on offense, head coach Dan Campbell is showing faith in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s approach — a stance that is generating some controversy.
The Lions struggled to move the ball and put up points in a 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on December 10, but Campbell had a more positive assessment of Johnson’s offensive approach. The Lions head coach publicly defended his offensive coordinator, saying he didn’t believe there was any problem with the play-calling selection.
“I thought Ben called a great game,” Campbell said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire. ‘I loved what he called. It was exactly what I wanted him to call. It was a hell of a job.”
But that defense has led to some scrutiny toward Campbell, with Jeff Risdon of LionsWire noting that there has not been enough accountability for the offense’s mistakes.
Lions Blasted for ‘Undisciplined’ Play
Risdon disagreed with Campbell’s assessment of the offense, noting that they fell flat against a beatable Bears team and looked unable to fix their mistakes. Risdon wrote that Campbell had a chance to hold Johnson accountable, but failed to seize it.
“There were ponderous play calls and sequencing, poor adaptations to Chicago’s defense, undisciplined penalties, misuse of assets, lousy performances by key players and no sense of urgency to stop the failure,” Risdon wrote. “The finger of blame should point directly at Johnson as the unit’s overseer and director, but Campbell let him off the hook.”
Risdon went on to say that defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has been held responsible for the “mistakes on his unit” and poor schemes, but not the same level of accountability for the offense.
“Campbell publicly letting his top offensive lieutenant off the hook for a bad game doesn’t do much to engender confidence that things will be better on Saturday against a better Denver defense than the Chicago one that just flattened Johnson’s poorly conceived, horribly executed game plan,” Risdon wrote.
After jumping out to an 8-2 start, the Lions have dropped two out of their last three games with both losses coming against divisional foes. The rough stretch has prevented the Lions from clinching their first divisional title in nearly three decades, and they face a difficult final stretch that includes a game against the Dallas Cowboys and two with the Minnesota Vikings.
Lions Looking for Boost on Offense
The Lions have a short week before taking on the Denver Broncos on Saturday and could be getting a boost with the potential return of a key member of the offense. Center Frank Ragnow returned to practice on Tuesday as a limited participant after sitting out last week’s game with knee, back and toe injuries.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press noted, the Lions could have another setback as left tackle Taylor Decker was listed as a non-participant in Tuesday’s practice report.
Some updates from Dan Campbell’s press conference earlier today
The Lions have dealt with a number of injuries to their offensive line, starting nine different line combinations so far this season. As Birkett noted, the Lions would start their 10th different combination if neither Decker nor Ragnow are able to play on Saturday.
Comments
Lions HC Dan Campbell Under Fire for Comment on Struggling Offense