NFL manager sends detention letter to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell
Coach Dan Campbell’s audacious and aggressive approach to game management made the Detroit Lions transition from being a yearly doormat to a contender for a Super Bowl LVIII position. However, Campbell’s go-for-broke attitude cost his team dearly in Sunday’s 34-31 NFC championship game defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, especially in a pair of crucial fourth-down scenarios.
With coaches often opting for punts or field goal attempts, Campbell had already established himself as maybe the most aggressive coach when it came to fourth down in a league that is depending more and more on analytical guidance. This season, Campbell’s Lions attempted a fourth down a league-high 33 percent of the time, which is far more than the NFL average of 20 percent, according to TruMedia.
Three out of five fourth-down attempts were converted by the Lions in their first two postseason games. However, they only succeeded in one of their three attempts on Sunday, failing twice when the offense was in position for a field goal late in the second half. With a 14-point advantage midway through the third quarter, Campbell decided to go for it on fourth and two from the 49ers’ 28-yard line; a field goal would have tied the score at three. The play was wrecked by a dropped pass. With his team behind by three points halfway through the fourth quarter, Campbell decided to go for it on fourth and three from the 49ers’ 30-yard line. After one more incomplete play, San Francisco regained possession of the ball and quickly marched for a touchdown to take a 10-point lead.
The decisions, which were both tight calls based on the statistics, were made in the midst of San Francisco’s rally from a 17-point halftime hole, placing pressure on Campbell’s judgment.
“I felt like there was a significant coaching difference in the second half,” ESPN’s Booger McFarland stated. “I can really relate to Dan Campbell’s fondness for going for it on fourth down. However, there are instances when you have to see your team play that day and play the game yourself.
The argument against the aggressive strategy includes the claims that momentum and other intangibles may influence playoff outcomes and that the Lions missed an opportunity to slow or perhaps accelerate San Francisco’s momentum by converting on field goal tries.
“I understand that it’s simple in retrospect,” Campbell said to reporters on Sunday evening. “I understand that, but it’s difficult for me to not regret those choices. The fact that we failed to make it is difficult. It was unable to succeed. However, I don’t regret anything. I’m not. And I am aware that I will be under observation. That’s just part of the job, dude. It was just not meant to be.
