Did you ever let doubt creep in when it came to Dan Campbell’s ability to coach the Detroit Lions?
As we enter Year 5 of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell era of the Detroit Lions , now is a good time to reflect on the past four years.
Campbell has amassed a 39-28-1 record over the first four years, not including a 2-2 record in the postseason. There are a few things incredible about these accomplishments. For one, he already has the fourth-best winning percentage (.581) of any Detroit Lions coach in history. His four playoff appearances are only second to Wayne Fontes (five), and his two playoff wins are only second to Buddy Parker’s championship teams of the 1950s.
But perhaps the most impressive part of Campbell’s overall record is how he started. Remember, the Lions went 3-13-1 his first season in Detroit and followed that up with a 1-6 start in his second year. That’s a collective 4-19-1. So since then, the Lions have been 35-9. That’s a .795 win percentage since the middle of the 2022 season.
There were some dark times before that turnaround, though. Things were so bad that owner Sheila Hamp had to go out and speak directly to Lions fans to tell them that they just need to be patient and things will turn around. The beginning of that 2022 season featured a 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots led by Bailey Zappe. They were rolled by the Dallas Cowboys 24-6 after that game. And then the Miami Dolphins hung 31 points and nearly 500 yards of offense on them.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Did you always believe in Dan Campbell?
My answer: If I’m being honest, the answer is no, but it’s also not really a fair question. Because I don’t really start with “I believe in this guy.” I begin with: show me. So when the Lions hired Campbell, and it was viewed as unorthodox, and he had his iconic press conference, my overall reaction was just to keep an open mind. There were some things I liked (his authenticity, his emotional intelligence), and there were some things I didn’t (an old-school approach to football).
I’m the kind of person who also thinks coaches/general managers need more time than some NFL franchises give them. So, when the Lions started out so terribly, I was mostly patient and forgiving. I wouldn’t say I ever “believed” in Dan Campbell over those first 25 games in Detroit, but I also didn’t think he was failing the franchise yet.
However, that Patriots game broke me a little bit. I said and tweeted some embarrassing things. I let my guard down, and my impatience took over. Granted, that was an emotional game for a lot of Lions fans, and we were hoping to find some relief and healing from the Matt Patricia era via a road win. Not only did that win never come, but it will probably go down as one of the worst losses in Campbell’s era with the Lions.
So, I let doubt creep in. I knew the Lions were in the midst of a long rebuild, and I knew that they weren’t going to be a contender in Year 2. And if I would’ve been level-headed at the time, I would’ve known that sometimes you just lay a stinker and it’s okay.
I never called for Campbell’s head or even remotely suggested it. However, that was the first (and really only) time I ever thought to myself: “This may not be the guy.”
How about you? How did you feel about the initial hire? Were you a Dan Campbell believer ever since his opening presser? Share your thoughts on the Lions coach in the comment section below.