Dan Campbell Has 'Controlled Fury' After Controversial Loss
The Detroit Lions have been dealing with controversy since they suffered a 20-19 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. They had the game won on a two-point conversion to Taylor Decker, but the play was nullified by illegal touching.
Traditional practice for trick plays, such as the one the Lions used in that situation, calls for coaches to discuss it with the officials prior to kickoff. Speaking Monday, Campbell said he had the play on a piece of paper that he showed the officials while he was describing what they were looking to do.
"No, I had it on a piece of paper," Campbell said. "Our play, what our players have. All I can do is talk through it, that's all I can do."
Campbell appeared ready to move on from those pivotal moments in Saturday's game. The Lions have one more regular season game remaining before the postseason begins.
Rather than dwell on the disappointment of the loss, as well as the uncontrollable factors leading to it, the third-year coach is motivated to move past it.
"I'm good. I woke up yesterday, I'm ready, man. I've got controlled fury, and I'm ready to go," Campbell stated. "I am absolutely ready to go, I don't go the other way and the team won't either. We're on a mission, and we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves and waller in everything. We had plays to make, and we didn't make them. It's a tight game, a good opponent, playoff-type atmosphere and you've got to make that one extra play that we didn't. So, we will use this as fuel. I've got pure octane right now, I woke up, I'm ready."
Because of the nature of the loss, as well as clear evidence seemingly contradicting the explanation given by lead official Brad Allen, Lions fans have been dealing with frustration.
The loss had implications for the team's playoff seeding. Because of the defeat, the Lions now have only a slim chance to secure the NFC's No. 2 seed in the postseason. Still, Campbell reiterated that the fans should not be concerned about any potential bias from officials toward the Lions.
"Don't do that. Don't do it. I know, I get it, but don't do it. Don't buy into that, don't live in that world. That'll just pull you down," Campbell explained. "If it makes you feel any better, the NFL's against every team."
Recall, Campbell was an assistant under Sean Payton when the New Orleans Saints fell at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. That game saw a controversial no-call on apparent pass interference negate the Saints' chance for a game-clinching first down late in the fourth quarter.
Unlike that game, the Lions' loss Saturday won't end their season. As a result, the coach is capitalizing on the opportunity to turn it into motivation.
"Look, I was in New Orleans. So, I know what that feels like. But, you know what, we walked away," Campbell explained. "Even in that game, we had chances to win before all that happened. But, that one ended it, that was it, man. We walked away, packed our bags and left. This one, we got a taste of what that was like, but we've still got a chance. We haven't even started the tournament. I think it's a blessing, and I would tell fans don't do it, don't even believe that. We're just getting started."
