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SPORTS Thursday 23 January 2025
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Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn watches during warmups before an NFL football
divisional playoff game against the Washington Commanders, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Detroit.
Associated Press

Assistant coaches say interviewing

during the NFL playoffs isn’t a distraction

By ROB MAADDI sults, too.
AP Pro Football Writer Earlier in the game, Williams ran 61 yards
Only the coordinators who interviewed for for a touchdown on a double reverse.
head coaching jobs before playoff games Also, running back David Montgomery
know if those conversations with other completed a 20-yard shovel pass after
teams were a distraction. taking a pitch from Jared Goff.
It won’t stop people from speculating Glenn interviewed with the Bears, Jaguars,
about it. Raiders, Saints and Jets. He turned down
The NFL’s hiring process became a hot an interview request from the Patriots, who
topic after the Detroit Lions were knocked hired Mike Vrabel.
out of the playoffs. The Lions went 15-2 and His defense allowed 38 points and 481
earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed, but were yards to Washington. But the Lions were
eliminated by the Washington Command- missing several key players and lost corner-
ers in the divisional round. back Amik Robertson in the first quarter.
Some disgruntled Lions fans blamed of- Johnson and Glenn weren’t the only coor-
fensive coordinator Ben Johnson and de- dinators busy interviewing for head coach-
fensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for be- ing jobs before a playoff game. They just
ing more focused on interviews than their happened to be on the wrong end of the
game plans. biggest upset so far this postseason.
Johnson accepted an offer to become Meanwhile, Commanders offensive coor-
Chicago’s new head coach on Monday, dinator Kliff Kingsbury is waiting until after
two days after the Commanders beat the the season to take interviews so he can fo-
Lions 45-31. He interviewed with the Bears, cus on the playoffs. Washington defensive
Patriots, Jaguars and Raiders during De- coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. had his first inter-
troit’s bye week. view with the Jets on Sunday.
Johnson’s offense racked up 521 yards Eagles OC Kellen Moore (Cowboys, Jag-
and scored 31 points so it wouldn’t seem uars, Saints), Bills OC Joe Brady (Bears, Jag-
that he was too distracted to create an ef- uars, Saints), Chiefs OC Matt Nagy (Jets)
fective scheme for the game. and Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo (Jets, Jag-
But Johnson made one big mistake. Down uars, Raiders) have also done interviews.
10 with 12 minutes left in the fourth quar- Per NFL rules, assistants on playoff teams
ter, he called a trick play that ended with could only do virtual interviews. The league
wide receiver Jameson Williams throwing adjusted its rules this year, limiting inter-
an interception. Williams should’ve tucked views to three hours for coaches still alive
the ball and run instead of throwing into in the playoffs.
coverage. Several assistants prepare for potential in-
Fox broadcaster Tom Brady, who is a mi- terviews in the offseason so they wouldn’t
nority owner of the Raiders and was in- have to start from scratch when they get
volved in interviewing Johnson, criticized a call.
the “gimmicky” play. “This go-around, I’ve been a lot more
“Not a great time for a trick play,” Brady prepared for the types of questions that
said. they’ve been asking,” Johnson said last
Johnson’s trickery had some positive re- week about his third hiring cycle.q