Detroit Lions news: Losing an assistant coach, Jared Goff, Dan Campbell, Graham Glasgow
Jared Goff has to be "one of the happiest guys on the planet"
There's no doubt Jared Goff is the Lions' player who benefits most from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's decision to stay.
On that note, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, CBS analyst and former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan knows what it means for Goff to have that continuity for at least one more season.
"Jared Goff should be the happiest guy — one of the happiest guys in the NFL right now, to know that going into this offseason, he’s not having to re-learn a system, he’s not having to re-learn a play caller,” Ryan said, “He’s not having to do all of these things that require so much effort and also don’t allow you to pick up where you left off and I think that’s going to be really huge for that offensive team and for the team as a whole, to have Ben back.”
Goff and Johnson obviously have a strong relationship, as Johnson has (smartly) leaned into what Goff does best, asked Goff what he likes to do and has empowered his quarterback with input into the offense. Those things feel elementary, but not every coach does it.
Jared Goff and Aidan Hutchinson talk Dan Campbell getting snubbed for Coach of the Year
If Lions head coach Dan Campbell was ever going to win NFL Coach of the Year, this was the year. But he finished a distant third in the voting, behind winner Kevin Stefanski and runner-up DeMeco Ryans.
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson carried the baton for Campbell being snubbed this week.
"I think he deserved it, man, We did some very historic things this year with our franchise. Although awards are good, he’s all of our Coach of the Year in our hearts", Hutchinson said.
Goff carried that baton too, while going further to mention the narrative nature of the award and the expectations attached to the Lions this season as a reason Campbell didn't win.
"I don’t see why he wouldn’t [win],” Goff told Fox News. "I guess that award tends to go to a team that’s not expecting to, I don’t know, be as competitive. And when they are, or they have some injuries, and the coach kinda brings them through it, [he] ends up getting the award. I think we were expected to be pretty good, so it wasn’t a surprise."