Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton had to face the music on Thursday afternoon—just over a week since coach Dan Campbell stripped him of play-calling duties and took care of it himself. But
you wouldn’t be able to tell that this press conference was any different from his previous ones. That’s because he repeated a mantra that he’s been saying all year, even when the offense was humming: it’s about the team.
“I want to do whatever it takes to win. As soon as (Campbell) said (it)—I’m like alright, let’s go. What have we got to do?” Morton said. “That’s the way I’ve always been in this business. I’ve been cut six times, I’ve been fired. Man, you just march on, because it’s always about the team, it always is. It’s not about me, goals and this and that. No, the ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl. So, I didn’t even blink twice, because I know my role here.”
That matches what Campbell has said about Morton all along, and much of the reason he was the choice to be the team’s play-caller once they had lost Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears. Campbell has admitted Morton’s devotion to the craft throughout the week—spending long hours and sleepless nights at the team facility—to make sure the team was in the best position to win. So when Campbell had to deliver the bad news last week, he made sure to let the public know that he still valued Morton as an asset to the team.
“John is vital to me. He gives me critical information that deals with the pass game,” Campbell said after the Commanders game. “That, number one, is his baby. That’s his bread and butter. That’s one of the things he does well. So I think that’s the best I can say. He’s good. I’m glad he’s here.”
Morton confirmed on Thursday that the rest of his role on offense is not changing. He’s simply no longer calling the plays. But as someone who has wanted to show off his chops as a play-caller, he’s hoping to get back there one day. So instead of wallowing in self-pity, he’s treating his journey much like that of player who just got demoted.
“You’re going to keep fighting. Right? That’s what we do. That’s what the Lions do. This organization’s been awesome, and they live off grit, adversity, fighting through it. That’s me,” Morton said. “Like I said, my dad worked for GM for 30-something years. I saw him work on the assembly line forever. So, that’s all I know. Like I said, I was cut six times as a player, been fired plenty of times, what have I got to do to get better? That’s the way you approach it, that’s the way we tell our players. Player loses his starting position, what is he going to do? He’s just going to mope around and quit? No, he’s not, because we don’t hire guys like that. Or we don’t draft players like that. We hire guys that are fighters and will do whatever it takes.”
All the while, Morton is planning on continuing his learning journey. Earlier in the week, Campbell said that it’s possible he could hand back play-calling duties to Morton, and he thinks learning on the sidelines could be valuable for the veteran coach. After watching Campbell at work last week in Detroit’s 44-22 victory over Washington, Morton said he did pick up things about establishing flow on offense.
“I can see certain calls set up this and that,” Morton said. “That’s the thing that I’m learning a little bit. How they’ve done it here, which has worked really well. I tried to do that, but I can see how it goes. That’s the biggest thing I caught from it.”
Campbell left open the possibility of giving Morton play-calling duties back, even as early as sometime this season. That won’t change anything within Morton, though, as the experienced coach will continue to prepare each week like he is anyways.
“I just prepare like I’m doing it,” Morton said. “Like I did last week, I‘m preparing like I’m calling the game. Because in the game, I’m like, ‘Okay, you’re getting this, you’re getting that, Okay be ready for this.’ I help him with that. So, I’m approaching it like I’m still calling it.”
