Dan Campbell has made Detroit a winning culture and turned the Lions into one of the finest teams in the NFL in just three years.
Both Campbell and Brad Holmes, the general manager of Detroit, who were hired in 2021, had to face a great deal of losing to begin their respective careers. But in Motown.
Recall that before winning its first game of the 2021 campaign, the team had a 0-10-1 record. Additionally, it had a dismal start to the next season, going winless for eight of the final ten games to conclude the 2022 campaign with a 9-8 record.
The Lions players gave Campbell their all throughout the first year and a half of his leadership, despite the team’s mounting deficits. Additionally, Campbell had unwavering backing from the front office, which included major owner Sheila Hamp.
The players’ and Hamp’s remarkable demonstration of support for Campbell’s potential to turn Detroit into a winning football team was noteworthy. And this past season, oh, did it pay off – and then some.
The third-year head coach played a big part in the Lions’ 2023 championship run. In addition to leading the team to its first division title in thirty years, Campbell also brought the once-dormant, insignificant team to its first postseason victory in thirty-two years.
Moreover, he guided the Lions to their first back-to-back postseason victories since 1957, the final season Detroit was an NFL champion. To put things in perspective, this championship was won prior to the Super Bowl era, which began in 1966–1967.
With one more victory, Campbell & Co. would have been able to compete for the Lombardi Trophy, a franchise first.
Of course, Campbell shares some of the blame for the team’s defeat to San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game, a contest in which the Lions lost a 17-point lead at halftime. In the second half, he made two contentious decisions to go for it on fourth down, both of which failed and swung the momentum in the 49ers’ favour.
However, his 2023 campaign shouldn’t be primarily remembered for those bold play calls that Detroit ultimately had to abandon.
Rather, he ought to be remembered for all the 22-of-45 fourth-down calls that did turn out to be correct during the regular season and postseason. Regardless of your opinion of Campbell’s stupidity in leaving his offence on the field so often, his aggressive style undoubtedly contributed to the Lions’ success in 2023.
