Pats needed an answer to this key question during the interview with Ben Johnson, which originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots announced Friday that they have completed an interview with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for their head coaching position.

We wrote earlier this week that Johnson was at a disadvantage compared to Mike Vrabel — the other top prospect the Patriots interviewed this week — for a variety of reasons. The primary one? As the head of a coaching staff, he is an unknown commodity.

After speaking with multiple league sources, one question arose when it came to introducing Johnson as head coach: How exactly would he manage his time as a playing head coach?

Those who know him consider Johnson to have a brilliant offensive mind.

“As good a coach as there is,” said a former colleague. “Demanding. Difficult to work out. Smart as (expletive).”

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Johnson’s track record as an offensive coordinator in Detroit speaks for itself. He can afford to be picky when it comes to his next landing spot, and he was. He was reportedly close to taking over as head coach in Washington last year before choosing to return to the Lions for another season. They now have both a historically efficient offense and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

The Patriots job is one he would covet, thanks in part to the presence of 22-year-old quarterback Drake Maye. And the Patriots are interested in him, giving him their fourth interview this week after speaking with Vrabel, Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich.

The team’s interview with Johnson generally had to take place via video conference and was limited to three hours. Did you get a good sense of Johnson’s philosophy as a head coach? Did you like the sound of his planned list of assistants? And did they understand how he would divide the many responsibilities that come with the job if Johnson continued to call plays?

Johnson is considered an extremely hard worker and someone who isn’t afraid to add more to his plate when something in his area of ​​responsibility doesn’t meet his standards. He expects a lot from his players and the offensive line coaches in Detroit. But how well will he delegate in a new, broader role? As he aggressively strives for the perfect game plan week after week, when will he have time for the countless knocks on his door as the go-to guy for final calls in the larger day-to-day business of football?

The question of how Johnson will handle the media in New England is an important one. Some consider him to be introverted compared to some of his coaching colleagues. Maybe he would rather operate behind the scenes and tinker with his plan than stand behind a microphone. As head coach of the Patriots, he would have to deal with a rabid and restive fan base in a media market that relentlessly follows the team. It’s not that he’s considered incapable of handling this part of his next job. He just has to work on it.

But if there really is room for the Krafts to be “blown away” on Friday, then the answers to the questions of how he will distribute a large but limited supply of energy and who he will rely on most to share it are The Workload — figuring out the core of how he’s going to make that transition from running an offense to running a team — may have been Johnson’s path.