Ben Johnson showed much respect to the Vikings and Lions head coaches, Kevin O’Connell and Dan Campbell, in his Introductory Press Conference. Then he said he enjoyed beating Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur twice every year.
— Ari M (@AriMeirov) January 22, 2025Could he have just been leaning into the most storied rivalry in NFL history? Sure.
Could he also have been taking a subtle (or even not-so-subtle) jab at the coach that he was 5-1 against during his days in Detroit? Definitely. The Lions enjoy a similar feud with their fellow NFC North foe, after all.
It sure seems like LaFleur interpreted the comments as the latter. The slight reportedly didn’t fall on deaf ears with the team to the North.
Packers OC Adam Stenavich on how he took Ben Johnson’s shot at Matt LaFleur from his intro presser: “Yeah, you take it personal, for sure. I’ll just leave it at that.” pic.twitter.com/TnaRcmnoxN
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 4, 2025
On one hand, I understand that perspective. Teams are always looking for bulletin board material, and Johnson gift-wrapped some on his first day on the job.
On the other hand, I would be willing to bet that LaFleur never leaves the house in the winter without at least a few layers of clothes, given how thin his skin appears to be.
As I mentioned above, it’s the most storied rivalry in the NFL. He showed love to the guy who helped him get here, referenced the other coach in the division (who does have a Coach of the Year Award under his belt) because it would’ve been even weirder if he was left out of the sentiment, and threw some banter towards Green Bay, because, well, you know..
If he’s using it to hype up his players for gameday, then the more power to him. If they’ll play hard for you, then they’ll play hard for you. Personally, I think the fact that they have a chance to take the division lead over a heated rival should be enough motivation, but to each their own.
If he’s got Ben Johnson’s face on a dart board at home, then he needs to re-evaluate his perspective as a vital cog in a storied rivalry. And get thicker skin.Ozzy Trapilo living up to 2025 NFL Draft hype entering Week 14 vs. PackersRob Gronkowski shows love to the Bears (while shading the Packers)How does the Bears current roster stack up to the 2018 team?The Bears are going to beat the Packers in Lambeau, and here’s why