3 Reasons Dan Campbell Remains Right Coach for Lions
For the first time in his tenure as Detroit Lions head man, Dan Campbell is starting to fall out of favor with the team's fanbase.
His continuously questionable decision-making has led him to become more and more a part of the Lions' problem, instead of the solution.
Yet, there are still a few reasons why he remains the right man for the job in Detroit.
Without further ado, here are three of those reasons.
He has command of the locker room
From all accounts, the players still respect and like playing for the second-year Lions head man.
He's established a positive, player-friendly culture in Detroit, and an atmosphere that is opposite of the toxic one that the past regime, led by Matt Patricia, created.
The Lions never truly embraced the "Patriot Way" of Campbell's predecessor, and it led to Patricia easily wearing out his welcome in the Motor City.
In stark contrast, despite the poor start to the 2022 campaign, the players have continued to play hard for Campbell (maybe the only game you can say otherwise was the team's Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots).
Additionally, the players have remained optimistic about the outlook of the remainder of the season. Jamaal Williams has come out and said that he and his teammates "don't accept losing" and have "the mindset of being champions." Meanwhile, Frank Ragnow has talked about how "it's a long season" and how he and his teammates can't afford to get stuck on one loss.
That sense of optimism in the locker room is a credit to Campbell and his coaching staff, and it's something that wasn't readily existent during the Patricia era.
Overall, offense has performed at high level
Outside of Week 5's shutout loss to the Patriots, the offense has been the definition of a high-functioning unit.
This is a credit to Campbell, as he elevated Ben Johnson to the role of offensive coordinator over the offseason. Additionally, it is believed that, just as was the case down the stretch of last season, Campbell has a significant say in the team's offensive gameplan on a weekly basis.
Subsequently, Johnson and Campbell must be able to work together. And, so far, they have co-existed very well.
Through five games, the offense is averaging 28.0 points per game -- the third-highest total in the NFL -- and Jared Goff has been playing his best football as a member of the Lions.
This, to me, is something that Johnson and Campbell both deserve credit for. And, it's one of the few reasons you can talk positively about Campbell at the present moment.
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For better or worse, he's learning on the job
This can also be used against Campbell (as he's now in his second season as head coach).
However, when Detroit hired Campbell in January of last year, the organization knew it was embarking on a long-term rebuild project. The Lions weren't going to be turned into winners overnight, and were going to have to go through some significant losing first.
So, when they tabbed Campbell to be Patricia's replacement, they gifted him a six-year contract, affording him the luxury to basically learn on the job and hopefully get better as the team also does.
It's been a painful process to watch so far, as the losses have continued to pile up and Campbell has repeatedly made the same in-game mistakes.
I think everybody inside and outside the organization wishes that that Campbell and the Lions were at a more advanced point in their development. But, whether you like it or not, Campbell remains the coach, and shouldn't have to truly fear for his job until next season.
Remember, there have been other NFL coaches that haven't won a ton in their first two years on the job.
For instance, Cincinnati's Zac Taylor won just six games his first two seasons leading the Bengals. And then, a season ago, he helped guide Cincinnati to a 10-7 record and a Super Bowl appearance.
For the Lions' sake, they better hope that Campbell turns out to be another Taylor, instead of another failed head man (i.e. Patricia).
