Allen Park — Since losing both of the team’s coordinators following the 2024 season, Detroit Lions fans can’t seem to escape Ben Johnson.
There was a sense of betrayal when Johnson opted to accept a job with division rival Chicago. And despite getting the best of him twice in his first year at the helm, that hardly offset the nausea of watching the Bears win their first division title in five years.
It’s safe to say Detroit doesn’t feel the same way about former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Sure, he had his ups and downs during his four seasons with the Lions, but Glenn went out swinging, leading an injury-ravaged unit to a top-10 scoring finish in 2024, before the dam finally broke in an ugly playoff loss to Washington.
Still, it was good enough to earn him the head coaching opportunity he long coveted, with the team that drafted him in 1994, the New York Jets.
On Sunday, Glenn returns to Detroit as a foe, and while no one around these parts wants to see him escape Ford Field with a win on Sunday, there likely aren’t many who won’t to see him fail beyond this weekend.
Glenn’s tenure with the Jets got off to a far rockier start than Johnson’s in Chicago. In fact, the beginning of Glenn’s tenure has been far more reminiscent to former boss Dan Campbell’s in Detroit.
With one of the worst offenses and defenses in the NFL last season, the Jets have had to tear things down to build back up.