Detroit Lions Mailbag: Why Dan Campbell will probably never win Coach of the Year
Welcome to Week 12 of the Detroit Lions Mailbag. We've got some good questions this week. Let's jump right into them. The Coach of the Year award has changed a lot in recent years. It's gone from "this guy is the best coach in the league" to "this guy turned around that team in a […]
Welcome to Week 12 of the Detroit Lions Mailbag. We've got some good questions this week. Let's jump right into them.
The Coach of the Year award has changed a lot in recent years. It's gone from "this guy is the best coach in the league" to "this guy turned around that team in a year" or "this guy made it to the playoffs with a backup QB." There has to be some sort of qualifier and Campbell doesn't have it. I think they find it boring to just give it the guy that makes the most sense.
Campbell's absolute best chance to win it was in 2022 when he coached the team out of hell and to that big run. They gave it to Daboll instead and like most guys that win the award recently, he's probably going to get fired soon.
Right now I think it's the team they play in just a few weeks. The Bills are a tough out for everyone and it's that explosive passing game they have. I think the Lions can stop the run on any team out there, but Allen is doing crazy things with his arm right now. Even with a really good secondary, that could be a big challenge for the Lions.
I'm very interested to see how that game goes in Week 15.
I've been super high on the idea that Ben Johnson is going nowhere. I full believe he just loves his job and doesn't want to be a head coach in today's NFL. I do believe Aaron Glenn is definitely getting hired somewhere though. If he does, the logical next step would be Kelvin Shepherd. I'd maybe look at Terrell Williams too. Do not expect an outside hire like Robert Saleh or Dennis Allen.
The big thing is this, even if they lose both guys, Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are still in Detroit. That has been what has driven this team to where it's at and they're the guys that hired both Johnson and Glenn. the judgement is good and it should be trusted that there is a contingency plan in place and that it's been long thought out.
I think it was fair to feel that way last year when he was declared an All-Pro. To me he is absolutely a top 3 receiver and it's all about trust. You know when the ball is heading in this guys direction, he is going to make a catch and he'll more than likely do something with it after he catches it. I can't say that for a lot of receivers out there.
Other guys might make crazier catches or have bigger numbers right now, but would you trust them with the game on the line in the same way you trust St. Brown? I'm not so sure I would.
The Lions match up pretty well with the Eagles. They are primarily a run first offense and the Lions have one of the best run stopping defenses in the NFL right now. If you make them one dimensional, they struggle to pass the ball. The Eagles are currently 24th in pass yards. Defensively these two teams are a lot alike though.
This would be a real challenge for the Lions, but I think if they stop that run, that's how they win.
Normally you could wonder if there's something to that idea, but I don't think this is a peaking thing that the Lions are doing. Sure, they're beating the hell out of some teams, but they're also gutting out some hard wins in games that could have gone either way.
I see a real level of consistency here. The Lions have found what works for them and they are hammering it over and over again. This is just a really good football team and they will continue to be that pending no more freak injuries or anything like that.
They are a lot like that 2007 Patriots team where they are just better than everyone and the belief is just so damn strong and there's not a lot that anyone can do about that. You have to hope they don't suffer the same end of year fate that team did when they ran into a team that believed a little harder than they did.
I would expect him to play inside and split reps with Rodriguez at the Will. Once Reeves-Maybin comes back, he'll get involved there too. The Lions are going to want all three of those guys working to stop the run. That has been Long's specialty in the NFL, so I don't think they move off of that.
Dan Campbell finds an interesting parallel between Lions’ running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery and Sonic & Knuckles
Anyone that grew up in the early 90's and had a Sega remembers how big of a deal it was when Sonic and Knuckles came out. If you had the Sonic 2 game (which I still believe 32 years later is one of the best games of all time) or Sonic 3, you could get […]
