While a significant chunk of Detroit Lions fandom may be worried about the recent raiding of the team’s coaching staff, star EDGE defender Aidan Hutchinson certainly isn’t. At the very least, he’s doing his best to downplay it when speaking publicly.
While appearing on “The Squeeze” podcast/show earlier this week, Hutchinson told hosts Taylor and Tay that losing defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson “doesn’t matter.” (Truth be told, I’m not sure which of the two hosts is Taylor and vice-versa, but that’s a totally different topic for a much more boring day.)
“I tell this to everyone,” Hutchinson started. “I don’t care who they bring in to coach us. Obviously, keeping Dan (Campbell) there is what we all want, but coordinators, position coaches, it doesn’t matter.”
Hutchinson, 24, is coming off the most trying year of his young NFL career. The Michigan pass-rusher broke his tibia and fibula on Oct. 13 this past season in the Lions’ 47-9 romp over the Dallas Cowboys.
In his five games, Hutchinson compiled 7.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and 7 tackles for loss, which put him on a historic pace when considering a full 17-game slate.
Hutchinson’s former defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, made the leap to head coach earlier this month. Of course, Glenn chose to reunite with the team that drafted him in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft, the New York Jets.
Interestingly, Glenn is the only coach Hutchinson has ever known as a professional defensive coordinator. Yet, pertaining to Glenn, along with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson making the head-coaching jump to the rival Chicago Bears—plus other coaches each coordinator took with them—the young EDGE rusher is downplaying the losses.
“As long as we have the right guys in the locker room and those foundation guys on offense, (and) on defense, you can roll anyone in there to call the plays,” Hutchinson added. “At the end of the day, it’s going to be the playmakers who are making those plays on Sundays. As long as we keep our core group and keep everyone there, we’re going to stay in this window of winning.”
Honestly, what’s Hutchinson supposed to say? In reality, his response isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
Sure, the quote that “it doesn’t matter” probably doesn’t provide enough respect for the jobs Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson did while working under head coach Dan Campbell, but when reading the entire quote, it becomes obvious that Aidan Hutchinson was not attempting to minimize the work his now-departed Detroit Lions coaches did.
When a coaching staff is organically dismantled to this degree, the entire organization must pull together as one.
