Calvin 'Megatron' Johnson weighs in on Dan Campbell's playcalling after narrow win over Packers
During Thursday night's thriller between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, Dan Campbell's unit edged out their division rival with a 34-31 win. Before Lions kicker Jake Bates made the game-winning 34-yard field goal, Campbell chose to go for a critical 4th-and-inches situation from Green Bay's 21-yard line.
Running back David Montgomery ran for a seven-yard run to give Detroit a first down, while they ran out the clock before Bates' field goal. The call to go for it is another example of Campbell's aggressive play style.
Former Detroit Lions legend and wide receiver Calvin "Megatron" Johnson appeared on the Up & Adams Show. He was asked if he thinks whether or not the Lions can win a Super Bowl behind Campbell's aggressive play-calling style.
"We've won a lot this way, though, too, obviously, there's some things that happened last year that were inopportune and timing and whatnot, but this is Dan, this is how we've got here ... I'm not the one in there, I'm not on the field," Johnson said.
"I'm not feeling the vibe at the exact time, and we I see it from afar, you know, I'm gonna leave it up to Dan to make those decisions."
Dan Campbell gives his reason for going for it on 4th-and-inches with last night's game tied against the Green Bay Packers
While many thought the Detroit Lions' decision to go for it on 4th-and-inches was risky, it paid off. If Detroit hadn't converted, the Green Bay Packers would have had the chance to take the lead with a field goal of their own with less than a minute left in the game.
While Dan Campbell mulled the decision to go for it, he said he didn't want the ball in the Packers' hands to end the game.
"I just felt like we needed to end it on offense," Campbell said via ESPN. "I did not want to give that ball back, and I believed we could get that, and I believed we could convert. I trusted that O-Line and I trusted David, and they came through for us.
"It's a hell of a call by Ben. I knew how I wanted to play this game. The team knew it, and everything in me told me let's finish this, and we did."
The gamble paid off, as the Lions improved to 12-1 on the season while clinching a playoff berth.