Dan Campbell's logical frustration foils Lions' chance at beating Cowboys
Saturday night's loss is about as frustrating as one can get and not just for the Detroit Lions – for any team that experiences something like that. Especially considering everything that has followed since. It's impossible to blame Dan Campbell and the Lions for their clear frustration both in real time on the field and when […]
Saturday night's loss is about as frustrating as one can get and not just for the Detroit Lions – for any team that experiences something like that. Especially considering everything that has followed since.
It's impossible to blame Dan Campbell and the Lions for their clear frustration both in real time on the field and when talking to the media after the game. As we have more time to look back on everything, it looks more and more like this was a major gaffe on head ref Brad Allen's part.
But, the mishap on the initial two-point conversion wasn't what cost the Lions the game. It was the decision to go for it, again, on not the one, but the two opportunities, afterward.
Going for it on the first try was gutsy and totally logical – it was vintage Campbell. Going for it on the subsequent occasions, however, was a mistake, and there's no doubt about it. Campbell let his emotions get the best of him and essentially said "F— it, we're taking this game, anyway".
It was basically his Leeroy Jenkins moment on live TV.
If Campbell is going to be aggressive, he has to be willing to ride both the highs and lows that come with the ensuing result. He definitely has to realize there are elements at play that could not only determine the outcome – he also has to realize there is zero control over said elements.
Yes, I'm referring to referees, in particular.
He has to keep his cool when things go awry and see the bigger picture. And, at the time, the bigger picture was kicking the PAT, going to overtime and hopefully driving right back down the field and scoring the game-winning touchdown after winning the toss. I mean, Jared Goff and the Lions offense carved the Dallas Cowboys' defense up on that final drive, even if the Cowboys were playing softer because of the situation.
It was also a lot to ask every to collect themselves and go for it, again, after all the emotions that came with Allen's illegal touching call. Everyone was scrambled eggs after that play – just hit the PAT and re-collect yourself going into overtime.
"Dan Campbell – I love this guy so much because he's so aggressive, [he's] so passionate," former Super Bowl champion, Tedy Bruschi, said on the latest episode of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. "You tell your guys, we're gonna go down and score and then boom, we're going for two – cool. That doesn't work [and] you're backed up, I'm watching it, like, 'Just kick it then and then let's just play the game.' It's almost like he reacted emotionally.
"Going forward, those emotions have to taper down just a little bit with some of the important decisions he's gonna have to make."
Again, Campbell doesn't need to necessarily dial back the aggression. He just needs to have a better understanding that high risk not only can result in high reward – it can result in drastic lows, as well. Either way, it's up to him to navigate through whatever happens and make sure his squad comes out clean on the other side. He failed to do that against Dallas, plain and simple.
The stakes were already high enough on Saturday night and they're only going to get higher when the playoffs kick off. Campbell had every reason in the world to be frustrated, but he's gotta toss it aside in a do-or-die scenario, or else it's going to bite him and his team just like it did on the special edition of Monday Night Football.
