In 2018, Adam Gase was fired by the Miami Dolphins. His offense had just finished the season ranked 31st in the NFL.
On his staff was Ben Johnson. When Gase was canned, Johnson moved to the Lions to work for Matt Patricia in Detroit — originally as an offensive quality control coach before looking after the tight ends. The Lions had the 26th ranked offense in Patricia’s final season before he was fired.
When Dan Campbell took over he kept Johnson as part of his staff in the role of passing game coordinator. The offense struggled under offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, leading to Johnson taking over play-calling duties in-season.
Johnson is now the most dynamic, innovative offensive coordinator in the league. Yet at no point during his stints under Gase or Patricia would you guess that would be the case one day. He was an unknown among most NFL fans.
The discussion over who should replace Ryan Grubb in Seattle mostly focuses on the following two types of candidate — former Head Coaches or coaches working for successful Head Coaches or coordinators at other teams.
It’s entirely possible for the Seahawks to find a great option this way. Retreads and coaches with undeserved reputations, however, can be deceptive appointments.
Is a fired Head Coach like Doug Pederson, who admitted last week the Jaguars job could be his last in the NFL, the person who is going to come in and drive the offense forwards? Does he still have the energy and desire to put everything into it? As a former Super Bowl winning Head Coach, does he want to spend the next few years being a coordinator? Or is it time to enjoy his wealth and take a step back?
Do coaches working for great Head Coaches or coordinators, or working with great players, gain inflated reputations? Unquestionably yes. Just because you’ve worked for Andy Reid, coaching Patrick Mahomes, doesn’t mean you’re cut out to lead an offense and manage a lesser talent at quarterback. Nathaniel Hackett, highly regarded when a coordinator working for Matt LaFleur, was a disaster as a Head Coach in Denver and an offensive coordinator in New York. The less said about Shane Waldron, who used to work for Sean McVay, the better.
The Seahawks need a visionary. Someone who can present a plan to Mike Macdonald that he fully buys into. Someone who Macdonald feels he can have a long-lasting working relationship with — a kindred spirit, if you will. They have to be philosophically aligned and avoid an arranged marriage, as they seemingly tried to do with Grubb. It’s not just about saying you promise to run the ball either. It’s sitting in front of Macdonald and John Schneider and producing a compelling vision for how you’re going to set up Seattle’s offense for success.
Macdonald talked about the challenge Grubb faced not fully understanding the different coaching trees within the NFL and how it connected different teams schematically. He needs to use his own knowledge of the various offensive DNA’s he’s competed against and pick the one he thinks will be able to challenge opponents the most, in the style he wants.
We should all be prepared, including the Seahawks, for the right candidate to be someone who doesn’t fit the ‘trendy’ billing.
Johnson is the best example of unexpected success to NFL outsiders. There are others though. Liam Coen has succeeded in Tampa Bay this year. After a strong year coaching Will Levis at Kentucky, he was appointed Sean McVay’s offensive coordinator. It didn’t work — so after one year he went back to Kentucky. A year later, he goes to Tampa Bay and now he’s a hot candidate to be a Head Coach. You wouldn’t have projected that two years ago when he departed the Rams to go back to college.
I discussed earlier today on Puck Sports why I think Mike Kafka shouldn’t just be written off because of the Giants’ woeful offensive production. The truth is, he hasn’t been calling plays and they’ve had to field a combination of Tommy DeVito, Tyrod Taylor, Drew Lock and Daniel Jones at quarterback. Their offensive line is awful. Brian Daboll reportedly created a toxic environment to work in. None of this is conducive with success. His ability as a Head Coach (he’s getting interviews) or as an offensive leader in Seattle, probably shouldn’t be dismissed just because of the situation in New York. He might be bad — but the Giants being bad shouldn’t be reason alone to assume that.
In a way I’d almost rather the Seahawks avoid just appointing the passing game coordinator or non-play-calling offensive coordinator from the Chiefs, Packers, Ravens, 49ers or Rams. Hey, you helped Lamar Jackson have a great year. Congratulations. Oh, Matt LaFleur is still good at his job and you helped, like Nathaniel Hackett. Well done. Crikey, that Mahomes wins a lot of games. Maybe you can bring him with you?
The best person for the job might be part of a staff that just toiled through an awful slog of a season, working for a bad boss and dealing with bad players. It might not be obvious but they might be the one with a great vision, who can communicate well, can lead and can align with Macdonald in a way that he doesn’t have to constantly tell the offensive coordinator what to do.
The truth is, none of us know anything about these staffs. Benjamin Solak wrote an article in August ranking the Washington Commanders’ staff 31st in the league. They just finished 11-6. The Vikings, who I think most people would agree should be in the top-three, and not just because of Kevin O’Connell, only came in 10th.
I’m intrigued by Josh McCown but not because I’m convinced he’ll be an amazing schemer. I simply think it’s a unique feather in his cap that he’s had an 18-year NFL career, playing for 13 different teams, and that his exposure to so many different schemes will be useful if you want to give him a shot. Also, it’s clear listening to him speak that he’s a very effective communicator.
I’m increasingly intrigued by Dave Ragone too. He was Arthur Smith’s offensive coordinator in Atlanta for three years — and reportedly Macdonald originally wanted to pair with Smith if he got an opportunity to be a NFL Head Coach. A close friend of Sean McVay’s, Ragone spent the last year as LA’s quarterbacks coach and was a former third round pick as a quarterback. He also recommended O-line coach Mike Munchak to McVay as he reshaped the trenches this year — with Munchak accepting a consultancy role. Maybe Ragone could pair himself with Munchak, who has Head Coaching experience?
If you’d have asked me immediately after Grubb’s firing who I’d least like to appoint, it would be another inexprienced coach out of college. However, who’s to say the best man wouldn’t be someone like Tommy Rees? He’s only one year into his NFL career. In his spells with Notre Dame and Alabama he was very run-centric. He’s been the passing game specialist & tight ends coach for Kevin Stefanski this season. People might want to run a mile and say he’s too similar to Grubb and isn’t experienced enough. Yet if he has the right vision and ideas, maybe it’d be worth the risk? You can’t let your experience with Grubb influence things too much. You’ve got to search everywhere for the right coordinator.
It once again shows the challenge facing teams who possess a defensive-minded Head Coach. Any team in the reverse situation, seeking a defensive coordinator, can try and convince Robert Saleh, Dennis Allen or Lou Anarumo to take the gig. A year ago, Vic Fangio and Brian Flores were available. There just aren’t the same level of offensive coordinator candidates available.
The Seahawks might need to find someone who isn’t a hot name on the internet. Someone who might not be coaching an elite player, or working for a fantastic Head Coach or coordinator. It might need to be someone like Ben Johnson who we knew little about but had the vision and the ideas and just needed an opportunity. The Seahawks need the next Ben Johnson, not the next Shane Waldron or Nathaniel Hackett.
Watch my latest spot on Puck Sports below (fast forward to 33:34):
