The Detroit Lions’ aggressive approach has divided pundits and analysts around the league. While some consider coach Dan Campbell’s choice to push the limits and attempt to convert fourth downs as risky, others see it as a reflection of his faith in his team.
The most recent illustration of this was the team’s Thursday victory over the Green Bay Packers. Detroit went for it on five fourth-down plays, converting four of them, including a fourth-and-1 from Green Bay’s 21-yard line with less than a minute remaining and the game tied at 31.
Rather than kick the field goal immediately away, leaving the Packers with less than 40 seconds and no timeouts, Detroit went for it with the purpose of running out the clock and kicking a field goal with no time remaining, which is exactly what happened. Richard Sherman, who was covering the game as part of Prime Video’s pregame panel, detailed what he discovered about how the decision to go for it went down on the most recent episode of his podcast.
Sherman stated that quarterback Jared Goff was eventually a key factor in the decision to go for it.
“Jared basically comes over, and Dan is on the headset, saying, ‘Hey, we’re kicking it. Get the field goal squad ready; we’re going to stand here, talk about it, but then kick it. Sherman remembered Jared, despondent, saying, ‘Man, I wanted to go,'” “Dan Campbell just looks at him and asks, ‘Do you want to do it? “F it, we’re going for it.” He changes his mind and goes for it. He trusts his players, his team, and his offensive line to get the job done for him.”
The Lions’ fourth-year coach is largely regarded as one of the top leaders in the game, having clearly formed an unrivaled bond with his players. It’s based on trust, and Campbell consistently demonstrates that faith by going for it on fourth down
. On the one hand, he expects his offense to gain the requisite yardage. On the other hand, he believes his defense can handle the circumstances that would arise if the offense fails to convert. This trust is what leads Sherman to assume that the players believe in Campbell as much as they do.
“And some people may think, ‘Is that really how it should go?’ Yeah, that’s how it should be. You can run all the analytics you want and say, ‘Oh, this percentage, or this number,’ but do you trust your team at the end of the day? “Do you trust your guys?” Sherman stated. “And if your quarterback says he believes they can accomplish it, and you say, ‘I’m going to believe in my quarterback and what he sees and does.’ That’s a gut feeling, and that’s why this team is prepared to go through walls for Dan Campbell, because he believes in them as much as they do.”
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