Getty Dan Campbell talks with Jared Goff before a 2021 game against the Rams.
Keeping Jared Goff happy is a big way the Detroit Lions could improve for the 2022 season, and the good news is the team seems committed to doing just that this offseason.
While Ben Johnson has not officially been named the team’s offensive coordinator, he is going to be a big part of the game plan for the offense in 2022, and the title might only be a formality at this point in time. Already, Johnson seems like he understands what he has to do to help the Lions be successful, and it revolves around cohesiveness at the quarterback spot.
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When he was at his best in Los Angeles, Goff was working the middle of the field and using play action concepts as his friend. This coming year, it seems as if Johnson already knows what kind of plan Goff needs, and is ready to make it possible for him.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, June 2, Johnson explained that a big goal for him this year is helping him to have his best season, and concepts from the Rams have already been on display for incorporation into the Detroit offense. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweeted about Johnson’s thoughts when listening in to his press conference.
Ben Johnson said one of his top priorities is helping Jared Goff have the best season of his career. They looked at some stuff he did in LA together the they are incorporating some here and he said Goff is having a great spring.
“Ben Johnson said one of his top priorities is helping Jared Goff have the best season of his career. They looked at some stuff he did in LA together the they are incorporating some here and he said Goff is having a great spring,” Twentyman tweeted.
Specifically, Johnson said that he has been collaborating with Goff in order to develop the offense that he likes the best for this season.
“It’s really been a collaborative effort between Johnson and Goff to develop aspects of this offense that really fit Goff’s game. Play action will be a big part of it with Detroit’s improved ability to run the football,” Twentyman tweeted.
Part of Goff’s falling out in Los Angeles came when the Rams staff became distant with their quarterback. When he was engaged, it looked as if Goff was a top 10 quarterback in the league. Obviously, the Lions hope and believe that Goff can get back to that point with an offense he meshes well within.
In terms of giving a quarterback a good shot to have a great season, the Lions seem to be making all the right moves with Goff ahead of a critical 2022. Helping him to be a big part of the offense might seem like a small detail, but it could figure as large to the Lions.
Dan Campbell: Lions Offense Will Look Similar to Second Half
In terms of what this will look like on the field, Lions coach Dan Campbell revealed some good news for fans. The offense that was featured in the second half of the season and finished off red-hot will be the one that the team and Goff start with in 2022. Speaking with the media on Thursday, June 2, Campbell revealed some of the changes he planned, and said they are likely to be minor.
“More style than anything. It’s going to be much more what you saw the back half of the year, the difference will be verbiage and ability to change our tempo. Those would be the big things,” Campbell told the media. “But we’re still about running the football, play acton pass, we hang our hat on that stuff. Other than what I just told you, that will be the change.”
In the late stage of the season, Detroit’s offense erupted by their early standards, punctuated by the fact that the team went over 25 points in four out of their last six games of the year. That change leads to optimism that with a full year of time, Detroit could feel a lot better about where things are trending.
Goff, amongst others, will certainly have to like this change a lot.
Goff’s Solid 2021 Finish Lends to Optimism
If the team’s offense is going to look like it did down the stretch, that’s good news for the Lions as much as it is Goff. Regardless of any narratives about him, Detroit has a quarterback they can seemingly count on for the future in Goff under center. In spite of all the early struggles and injury trouble late in the year, Goff found a way to finish the 2021 season strong on the field. After Thanksgiving Day, Goff was on relative fire as statistics go at quarterback. He threw 11 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions while going off for 1,136 passing yards. Goff has also claimed elusive awards for a Lions quarterback such as NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as FedEx Air Player of the Week award.
Perhaps the game that showed Lions fans the most was his impressive 3 touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15:
All of this cemented Goff’s future with the team. The Lions didn’t draft another quarterback or sign one outside the building, and Goff has been given all the confidence in the world by the staff.
With the offense tailored for him, it should be a solid season for the Lions. Already, it seems as if the team.
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Collaboration Between Jared Goff, Lions Great News for 2022 Offense