When he was introduced as Detroit Lions head coach in January of 2021, with one memorable quote about biting kneecaps taken out of a long session, Dan Campbell was setting a tone. His team would be aggressive, and unafraid.
Over Campbell's first four seasons, the Lions set a record for a span of that many years by going for it on fourth down 151 times. His first three seasons (2021-2023) are all in the top-11 in league history for fourth down attempts in a season. In 2024, they went 22-for-33 on fourth downs (66.7 percent). In general, analytics back up Campbell's fourth down decision-making.
During one of his weekly appearances on 97.1 The Ticket last season, Campbell said he knows why other coaches aren't as aggressive as he is.
"Oh, I don’t know. Well, here’s the obvious. What happens when we don’t get that?".... Campbell said. "That’s why. To each his own, there’s plenty of philosophies that work in this league. And you can win a lot of games doing it your way, and I just lean more this way...."
Going for it on fourth down is not taboo like it once was, but Campbell still stands apart from the crowd. It's to the point Lions' players and coaches expect to go for it on fourth down in a lot of situations.
Campbell's fourth down aggressiveness changes how opponents approach games against the Lions. As Richard Silva of the Detroit News noted afterward, the Minnesota Vikings went for it on fourth down a league-low 13 times during the 2024 regular season. Three of those came against the Lions in Week 18. Pushing a team out of its normal mode like that is an added advantage for the Lions.
Barry Sanders thinks Dan Campbell has changed the game
Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders appeared on the latest episode of the "Green Light" podcast with former NFL defensive end Chris Long. He thinks Campbell was at the forefront of the push toward more fourth down aggressiveness in the NFL.
"That’s where it starts. You’ve seen just how coach Campbell has changed the game. The amount of chances he’s willing to take, he’s changed the game," Sanders said. "Really, it just feeds on itself because now the players understand when they get in certain situation, it’s not even a second thought. That does develop that culture and confidence. It certainly adds a great benefit to that offense because I’m pretty sure over the last few years, the defenses are thinking, ‘Will they go for it in this case?’ And the Lions are saying, ‘No, we’re definitely going to go for it.’”
Campbell became more calculated and balanced with his fourth down aggressiveness last season, with the success rate proving he shouldn't stray from that overall aggression one bit.
