Dan Campbell was the best choice for the Detroit Lions' coach in 2021. Sometimes he seems more like a caricature of a football coach than a real one, when he gets carried away talking about how tough the Lions are, and they aren't actually a better football team than they were last season. They won five games in 2020 and will have to win three more to match that total. Campbell has provided the Lions with a cleanse.
The Lions did not change much in the year. They missed the playoffs for the second year in a row, but went 9-7 for the second year in a row. They had not won a playoff game in over two decades. The organization decided to bring in a new coach in MattPatricia, who they believed was the ultimate winning culture.
When it was learned that he had been indicted on sexual assault charges, the era started off badly. The charges were dropped because the accuser decided not to go through with it due to the stress. He has always said that he didn't do what was accused of.
After the season began,Patricia embarrassed himself. He scolded a reporter for a lack of professionalism, even though he had unkempt hair and a beard. He was late for meetings and for pressers. The players felt more disrespected than anything else by the way the "Patriot Way" was implemented. He was fired after 11 games.
Campbell's introductory press conference was mocked in the media. He used hyperbole when he said that if the Lions got knocked down they would keep getting up and biting kneecaps until they emerged victorious.
It was silly, just like it was in training camp, but it was a better situation than having a know-it-all coach condescend everyone from players to reporters.
The season began with Detroit's new quarterback, and it started off as poorly as possible. The Lions started the season with eight losses. Campbell cried during the press conference after the Vikings field goal as time expired in the Week 5 loss, their second in three weeks. That is atypical of a football coach, but it shows a stark difference in the organization. Campbell made it clear how he feels about the players in the locker room, even though he believed that was the way to win.
The team won its first game of the season. The players gave Campbell the game ball after he gave a rousing speech in the locker room. The Lions beat the top team in theNFC at the time, the Arizona Cards, thoroughly, from start to finish. The score was 30-12 at the end of the first half and Kyler Murray did not score a point. He knocked the Campbell locker room speech out of the park again.
The team is nowhere near where it wants to be. Football Outsiders has the Lions ranked 29th in total, offensive, and defensive DVOA, and they don't have a quarterback. Even if they finish the season with only two wins, Campbell has been a success.
A pressure wash was needed to get rid of all the toxins left behind. Campbell has been that as well. The post-game video from Sunday has nearly two million views on social media. It feels good to see someone who is still in touch with the human element of leadership. People will respond better if they know where a leader is coming from and can feel it.
The Lions are responding to him. Let's see if they can get their record to match Campbell's passion in 2022.
