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As Ben Johnson starts heading up the Bears, he's fielding questions about the idea that he and Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell are at odds.
The Detroit Lions are splintering, since so many of their staffers have already taken positions with other teams just days into the offseason. Among the biggest losses were losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets.
Amid all the staff leaving the Detroit Lions, there’s been some talk of possible “friction” in the organization. Now, Johnson is responding to that talk.
Sports Personality Reports ‘Interesting’ Detroit Lions News
During the Wednesday, January 22 episode of Woodward Sports’ “Big D Energy,” co-host Neil Ruhl talked about Johnson leaving the Lions. He mentioned that he had chatted with a “pretty good source” about the team’s current situation.
“I got a phone call yesterday from a pretty good source, covers the National Football League,” Ruhl said on the show. “He had a lot of interesting things to say about the Lions coaching movement, all of that stuff.”
Ruhl added that the “Ben Johnson stuff that he told me about was a little more interesting, was that there was potentially some friction in the organization with Ben Johnson, with Dan Campbell, to the degree that he might not have been back regardless this year.”
That’s quite a bombshell. But, is it for real? That’s another story.
Johnson made an appearance on FS1’s “Breakfast Ball” Thursday, January 23, and responded to Ruhl’s comments. NFL analyst and expert Craig Carton asked him if what Ruhl said was for real, and he basically shot it down hard.
“No. I’ve never heard of that before in my life,” Johnson said, responding to the co-host’s question. “That guy is one of my best friends. He is a mentor of mine, and I view him like family.”
Johnson also spoke highly of Campbell during his Bears introductory press conference, saying that Campbell is “more than just a colleague,” that he’s “a friend” and “a mentor.”
Ben Johnson on Picking the Chicago Bears
Johnson is still going to be close to Campbell, since they’re both in the NFC North. Discussing why he picked the Bears, Johnson said that he wanted to remain in the division.
“I know this is the toughest division in football right now,” Johnson said during his first press conference with the Bears. “There’s three teams that made the playoffs this year.”
He added, “I’ve got tremendous amounts of respect for the coaches and players in this league having competed against them for the last six years. Dan Campbell, (Vikings coach) Kevin O’Connell. Talk about two guys who are up for Coach of the Year awards as the season ends here.”
The Bears will need Johnson, since they had the lowest number of yards (284.6) this season and were tied for the fourth-fewest points per game (18.2) in the NFL.
In a January 24 feature for the Bears, Johnson spoke about if he has any rituals before taking the field.
“No. I really don’t,” he said. “It’s not like I eat the same thing or anything. I get in the zone by listening to music and I suppose the same songs on repeat. Right now, I’m on this Vance Joy kick. ‘Like Gold’ and ‘Georgia.'”
No Metallica? C’mon, Ben.
Anne Erickson Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter covering the NFL and college football for Heavy.com. Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
