Tom Brady passes judgement on Dan Campbell's questionable 4th-down play calls: "It comes back to bite you"
Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions had a chance to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVIII even if the San Francisco 49ers were making a run. Instead, his hyper-aggressive decision-making during the National Football Conference Championship Game backfired.
That’s what seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady pointed out in the latest episode of his Let’s Go! Podcast. The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback shared with co-hosts Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald:
“They’ve been aggressive all year. You know obviously, when you’re aggressive and it doesn’t work, it comes back to bite you. It came back to bite them yesterday. Again, I would’ve taken the points."
“I’ve been in those situations. I look at them and say, OK, this is the opportunity to continue to keep the pressure on the 49ers to make great plays, and you’re in a great position.”
Despite building a 24-7 halftime lead, Dan Campbell and the Lions let the game slip away. But while the 49ers erased the deficit, a conservative approach could have given Detroit more second-half points and a potential victory.
Two plays come to mind. First, Campbell opted to run another offensive play on fourth-and-two from the Niners’ 28-yard line. Placekicker Michael Badgley had a makeable 36-yard field goal try that could have re-established their 17-point lead, 27-10, with seven minutes left in the third quarter.
Instead, Jared Goff’s passing attempt to Josh Reynolds failed, turning the ball over on downs without adding points on the board.
The Lions had a similar situation with over seven minutes left in regulation. But instead of allowing Badgley to try a field goal from 48 yards and potentially tie the game, Campbell called for another passing play.
Goff failed to connect with Amon-Ra St. Brown, maintaining San Francisco’s three-point advantage. Getting those six points could have changed the game’s outcome.
Being hyper-aggressive in situations where taking the points is the smart choice has football fans comparing Dan Campbell to former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley.
Dan Campbell deserves applause for the Lions’ amazing transformation
While football fans, especially die-hard Detroit Lions supporters, will question his decisions for a while, Dan Campbell deserves credit for turning the franchise from loveable losers to legitimate contenders.
As Brad Holmes found superb talent through the draft, such as Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch, Campbell guided and motivated them to become winners. That’s why the Lions went from 3-13-1 in his first season to 12-5 in year three.
Under his tutelage, the Lions won their first NFC North division title and returned to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
The setback they’ve suffered seems temporary because Campbell’s roster is poised to terrorize the rest of the NFL in the coming years.