Ben Johnson faces several headwinds in Patriots’ coaching search originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NFL hiring cycle has an odd way of punishing the league’s best and brightest. And one of those said best and brightest is at a disadvantage right out of the chutes as he pursues the open head coaching gig in New England.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will meet with the Patriots on Friday. When he does, it’ll be on a screen.
NFL rules mandate that coaches working for other teams can only be interviewed remotely at this point. The Krafts can’t meet with Johnson in person until Detroit’s season is over. (If the Lions make the Super Bowl, Johnson could visit New England during the bye week beforehand.)
But with Johnson and Mike Vrabel widely considered to be the two best candidates for head coach openings this cycle, there’s one coach who is allowed more freedom to interview than the other. And it’s the one who’s technically out of the league at the moment.
Vrabel has navigated the early stages of this coaching cycle with aplomb and expedited his own personal timeline. He was let out of his contract with the Browns — for whom he consulted this past season — and therefore allowed to travel the country to interview in-person wherever he’d be given the chance.
Before the NFL regular season was over — before Jerod Mayo was fired — Vrabel interviewed in person with the Jets. NFL sources viewed that as a “calculated” move by Vrabel to get the attention of the Patriots and perhaps influence their decision with Mayo. The idea was this: Act quickly or I could be working for your rivals for the foreseeable future.
Now put yourself in Robert Kraft’s shoes.
You have a member of your team’s Hall of Fame. Someone you know well. Someone with a proven track record as a head coach who you know can hold a room and can handle the wide-ranging responsibilities of the gig. Who might like to get started on his next job as soon as possible. Who you can meet with in person this week. (The Patriots and Vrabel will meet in person on Thursday.)
You have another coach with whom you’ve never worked. He’s viewed as brilliant but as a bit of an introvert. He’s an unknown as a head coach, and it would be fair to wonder if he’d be quite the same play-caller — the skill that has earned him head coaching opportunities in recent years — as a head coach when his responsibilities will increase exponentially. He’s a bit busy at the moment, preparing for a Super Bowl run. And he’ll make his first impression on you during a Zoom call.
For Johnson, it’s less than ideal. Especially given that the person he’s tasked with impressing is an octogenarian for whom face-to-face interactions matter.
Can Johnson knock Robert Kraft’s socks off on a video conference? Consider that the first uphill battle Johnson will have to fight to earn the Patriots’ gig.
The second? It’s something Johnson has little control over. He’s hoping to be a rookie head coach following a rookie head coach in New England. And for those who know the Krafts, that’s not expected to be something they’re all that hot after.
Then there’s the timing, which comes back to Vrabel.
Because the Patriots interviewed Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich in person — though not at their facility — on Tuesday, they have satisfied the Rooney Rule, meaning they could hire Vrabel as soon as they finish talking to him.
Tough break for Johnson, one of the best and brightest in football. But that’s show business.
