thelesterlee
It’s difficult to win a Super Bowl in the National Football League.
Every player, coach, exec, trainer, ball boy and bus driver has to be locked in on the mission at hand.
You can’t have a wide receiver reading self-help books on the sidelines because he only caught 1 pass.
As of right now, the Detroit Lions are the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
They have the best offense in the entire league and the easiest path—first with a bye last week and a game this weekend against a rookie QB.
The only thing that could potentially prevent this team from making it to the Super Bowl is if a few key parts of the team—like, say, both the offensive and defensive coordinators—were constantly talking about the jobs they want next year.
OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn have been at the top of every (backwash) team’s wishlist.
Last season, both men decided to return to Detroit after losing by a field goal in the NFC Championship game to the San Francisco 49ers.
Sort of a “one last job” energy from everyone involved.
And it worked.
Detroit is the best team in the league. The offense ranked 1st and despite almost every player landing on injured reserve, including star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, they finished with the 7th ranked defense.
And thanks to NFL rules, the bad teams fire their coaches at the end of the regular season but can’t even speak with any of the coordinators of great teams until they’re eliminated from the playoffs so teams and coordinators have to be sneaky in their communication—like I imagine Ben Johnson has the Chicago Bears GM saved in his contacts as “Scam Likely” in case he gets a call in front of Dan Campbell.
In a less ambitious world where we were all happy making millions of dollars to help coach the best team in the league—Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn would be Lions coordinators for life.
But we do not live in that world.
We live in a world where guys who should probably shut up unless they’re calling plays into the captain’s helmet, want to see if they can run their own teams.
I reckon Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn have earned their opportunity to fail.
Where will Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn coach next season?
Although it’s true teams can’t tamper with coaches of playoff teams, it’s also true that Fox is broadcasting the Lions/Commanders game this weekend—which means part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, Tom Brady, will have time to speak with Ben Johnson privately before or after the game.
Outlets like The Athletic have already reported that Ben Johnson is seriously considering the Raiders and Johnson can make a life-altering decision after a weekend alone with Tom Brady just like Bridget Moynahan.
Aaron Glenn, on the other hand, has just flat-out said he wants the New York Jets job. It’ll be tough considering the Jets have already interviewed Ron Rivera, who sucked in Washington, Rex Ryan who I know without a doubt has commented under a woman’s photo “show feet” and Mike Vrabel, who is now the New England Patriots head coach.
Wherever Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn land, they will almost automatically be less successful than the Detroit Lions next season.
Neither the Raiders nor Jets have any idea who their starting quarterbacks will be next season but I hope Aaron Glenn and Woody Johnson’s teenage son can form a meaningful relationship.
As far as the Detroit Lions go, I’m sure Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn are hyper-focused on the Washington Commanders even though they are constantly on the phone with GMs and reporters.
Congrats to whichever team beats the Lions soon.
If you enjoyed what you read, head over to our Substack. We’ve got more content making fun of the ridiculous world we live in, sent directly to your email inbox daily.
Follow us over on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings