Pride of Detroit
Doctor Faustus, a 16th-century tragedy by playwright Christopher Marlowe, tells the story of a brilliant but restless scholar who grows dissatisfied with the limits of traditional knowledge. Faustus, hungry for something more, strikes a bargain with the devil. In exchange for his soul, Faustus will enjoy 24 years of unlimited power and pleasure, aided by the demon Mephistopheles.
In the beginning, Faustus revels in his newfound abilities by conjuring spirits, performing tricks, and impressing nobles with his powers. But as the years pass, he wastes his gifts on silly parlor tricks rather than pursuing deeper wisdom, lasting achievement, or committing to seeing through the things he had wanted to do prior to cutting his deal the devil. When the time runs out on his 24-year contract, Faustus is overcome with despair, realizing too late that his unchecked ambition has doomed him.
The story reminds us that ambition, when unfocused, leads to mediocrity—and ultimately, ruin. Decisions and deals have consequences. It’s a warning that echoes in the high-stakes world of NFL coaching, and one that the Chicago Bears and their first-year head coach, Ben Johnson, should keep in mind if they want to turn things around.
Sidebar: The downfall of the Detroit Lions was greatly exaggerated. John Morton’s offense was stymied shut down and all it took was one Micah Parsons to do it. Kelvin Sheppard got too cute with his coverage calls, dropping his best pass rushers into zones instead of getting after Jordan Love. It caused widespread panic and concern for what felt like the longest seven days of my football-watching life.
The offensive line was considered a mess beyond repair. Jared Goff was nothing more than a Checkdown Charlie without the tutelage of Ben Johnson or Sean McVay. The Detroit Lions had fallen victim to a Brain Drain, and the mass exodus of coordinators left behind the neanderthal of a head coach.
The Lions responded by beating the Bears, 52-21. Morton helped orchestrate a day on offense that set the game-high mark for yards per play (8.8) in the franchise’s history. Sheppard’s defense forced two turnovers—had another one overturned for Brian Branch hitting Caleb Williams with the Five-Star Frog Splash—and four sacks helped keep Detroit in firm control of this game from nearly start to finish.
Sure seems like Campbell has a plan, or the alternative is he must have just stumbled his way into hiring/promoting another couple of brilliant football minds. We’ll see how it plays out.
But for Ben Johnson, maybe being a head coach isn’t all it’s cut out to be. If the goal in Detroit was to win a Super Bowl, what changed between the end of 2023 and 2024? Did ambition get in the way? Maybe it wasn’t worth shaking hands and making a deal with Ryan Poles to become the head coach of a team that thinks they have a franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams.
After going 0-2 on fourth down, maybe it was a difference in talent between two...
