Todd Haley is a name most football fans recognize, especially those who followed the NFL closely from the late 2000s into the mid-2010s. During that stretch, he built a reputation as one of the league’s sharper offensive thinkers.

He coordinated Arizona’s offense during its Super Bowl run in 2008, led Kansas City to a playoff appearance as head coach in 2010, and later helped Ben Roethlisberger post some of the most productive seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. Haley’s personality sometimes caused friction, but his results were hard to argue with.
One thing Haley has never lacked is honesty. In a recent conversation with Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, he explained why Ben Johnson’s offense has worked so well in Chicago.

Haley pointed to Johnson’s commitment to a classic NFL approach — lining up under center, emphasizing a physical running game, and using play-action as a core weapon. In Haley’s view, too many modern offenses rely heavily on spread concepts, often sacrificing balance and efficiency. Johnson, by contrast, has given the Bears a clear offensive identity — something Haley believes the Detroit Lions lost after Johnson departed.

According to Haley, when an offense can consistently threaten defenses with the run, everything else becomes easier. He argued that Detroit’s recent decline can largely be traced to its inability to maintain a strong ground game late in the season. With Johnson calling plays last year, the Lions finished near the top of the league in rushing.

This season, problems along the interior offensive line have contributed to a significant drop, with the team falling to the middle of the pack and posting several games with extremely low rushing totals.
At that point, Haley said, Detroit became an ordinary passing team that relied too heavily on straight drop-back concepts — and defenses adjusted accordingly.

Many around the league have quietly reached the same conclusion Haley voiced out loud. Dan Campbell deserves credit for reshaping the culture in Detroit, and general manager Brad Holmes has drafted exceptionally well. Still, elite teams usually need a high-level strategist to maximize talent. Campbell’s strength has always been leadership and motivation, not schematic innovation. Johnson filled that gap. His run-focused system helped transform the Lions into one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses during their peak seasons.

Since Johnson’s exit, Detroit hasn’t played with the same edge. While the run game hasn’t disappeared entirely, it no longer dictates games the way it once did. Haley’s assessment rings true: the Lions’ offense has become predictable and far easier to defend.
Detroit knew Johnson wouldn’t be there forever, but they seemed to underestimate how much his absence would matter.

That miscalculation may have cost them a crucial year in their championship window. Unless they can quickly identify a play-caller capable of restoring that offensive identity, their opportunity to contend at the highest level may not come around again.