The Detroit Lions have reversed decades upon decades of poor coaching and leadership when Dan Campbell turned this team into a winner. Based on his performance as Lions head coach, it's not unreasonable to suggest he should be considered beyond reproach from this fanbase.
Campbell is not only one of just a handful of recent Lions coaches who were good, but he avoided soiling himself in such a loud and chaotic fashion that fans of teams all across the league point to those tenures as an example of what not to do.
CBS Sports ranked the worst head coaching hires of the last 25 years, and it should not be a surprise that the Lions are very well-represented in this list. The Lions have been such a bad team for so many years that they had three separate coaches rank in the Top 10.
Rod Marinelli and Matt Patricia were right next to each other at No. 10 and No. 9, respectively. With Art Shell coming in at No. 8, Marty Morhinweg managed to leapfrog him by one spot at No. 7. The fact that all three of them have arguments to be higher on this list shows how bleak things were.
3 Lions coaches ranked in worst NFL hires of this century
Patricia's 13-29-1 record doesn't appear to be all-time bad, but anyone who saw those Lions team will swear on their mother's grave that his poisonous atmosphere was so impossible to craft a winning culture in that he deserves every iota of criticism he received. Patricia is now the DC at Ohio State.
Marinelli started with a 3-13 Lions team in 2006, though he managed to improve things and win seven games the following year. Rather than take another step forward, Marinelli oversaw the infamous 0-16 campaign. He was never considered for head coaching duties again, though he found solid work as a DL coach and defensive coordinator for the Bears, Cowboys, and Raiders.
Morhinweg was the first big move of the Matt Millen era, and his teams were black holes from which no joy could escape. Morhinweg won just five games in two seasons, losing 27. He had success as an offensive coordinator with the Eagles after leaving, but he remains alone as the worst coach the Lions have ever had.
Campbell, meanwhile, has helped the Lions establish a culture every team in the league is trying to copy, all while piling up the wins. Anyone who harbors criticism of Campbell should remember how bad things used to be.
