Detroit Lions fans are very loyal, and they’ve been through a lot with this team. It takes a special kind of loyalty to passionately support a team that has yet to make it to the Super Bowl.
Now, Lions fans aren’t happy about some criticism beloved coach Dan Campbell is getting about his aggressive play calling. It goes without saying that Campbell is known for being a very aggressive player caller and “going for it” on fourth down a lot. That’s just part of his DNA, and Lions fans largely accept and embrace that. But, going for the jugular in difficult situations can also put Campbell in a situation to get criticized by NFL experts and analysts more than other coaches who play it safe.
Lions ‘Go for It Too Much’
Professional sports handicapper Steve Fezzik appeared on the Thursday, March 27 edition of the “Even Money Podcast” with Ross Tucker. On the show, the topic of Campbell’s play calling came up, and Fezzik didn’t hold back about his thoughts on the coach’s decisions. Fezzik even went so far to say that he thinks that aggressive play calling will catch up with the Lions in the upcoming season.
“So, the Lions are like (pro poker player) Chris Moneymaker. They directionally figured it out before the rest of the NFL: We want to go for it. We want to go for it way more than the rest of the league,” he said on the show. “So, they had an advantage, but they’re not optimal. They make bad decisions. They go for it too much.”
He continued, stating that the Lions “go for it fourth-and-goal from the six, because Dan Campbell just decides, ‘That’s what we do.’ They go for it when they’re up 14 in the playoffs, when they could kick a field goal to go up 17 against San Francisco (in the NFC Championship Game) late in the third quarter. Mistake.”
That call in the San Francisco game will haunt the Lions forever, won’t it? But, Fezzik wasn’t done.
“Given that and given these other NFL teams who were sissies and weren’t aggressive enough have moved more to optimality and the Lions are too aggressive,” he said, “the Lions will actually have a disadvantage, in my opinion, this year versus a lot of teams.”
Lions Enthusiasts Sock It to the Critics
Fans came to the defense of Campbell, because they’re obviously very protective of the coach.
“So when Dan Campbell goes for it it’s reckless but when other coaches do it it’s well thought out and a brilliant decision,” one stated.
“Uninformed opinions are still opinions, I guess. Steve is still wrong,” another commented.
“You clearly don’t watch Lions games. Stop talking about them if you don’t really understand how they operate,” one more stated.
Another asserted that, “This fool knows nothing about Dan Campbell.”
We likely won’t know if Campbell ever hears about Fezzik’s remarks and, if so, what he thinks of them. But, regardless, Campbell likely isn’t going to change his aggressive play calling, “Dan Gamble,” ways.
