Getty Dan Campbell on the sidelines in 2022 against the Colts.
The Detroit Lions players have a coach that cares about them in Dan Campbell, and that is true in more ways than just one.
Campbell has told players before his sole focus is finding every way to make them better and help them. He shows that on the field come game day with some of his decision making.
While many fans likely pull their hair out over Campbell’s risky fourth down decisions, the fact of the matter is, it’s proven to be a winning strategy for the coach overall that has led to some good moments on the field.
Once again, some metrics prove that to be the case. Campbell’s decision making added plenty of win probability to his team during the 2022-23 season, so much so that he was ranked the third-overall coach in the league by Sumer Sports relative to decision making.
How much win probability added over expected each head coach and their staff added during the 2022-23 season
“How much win probability added over expected each head coach and their staff added during the 2022-23 season,” the site tweeted, putting Campbell’s name in third position.
The metric not only takes into account fourth down decisions, but two point conversions, first and second half timeout usage and delay of game in order to come up with the final number.
Campbell trailed only the likes of Nick Siriani of Philadelphia and Sean McDermott of Buffalo in terms of the metric, adding 45.2% percent win probability over expected this past season.
Clearly, as much as many see Campbell as a hype man, he’s also a serious football mind to be able to deliver a coaching number this good.
Lions Were Revealed Aggressive 2022 Team
The good news for Detroit? Campbell’s aggressiveness paid off for the most part, especially relative to where it was early in the season for the team.
As a piece showed during the middle of the season, at one point of the year, Detroit was going for it just under 50% of the time on fourth down.
Pro Football Focus took a look earler this fall breaking down where all teams in the NFL were at on fourth down decision making. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Lions led the league in terms of going on fourth down. They were only slightly ahead of the Arizona Cardinals in terms of aggressiveness at the time.
Obviously, the Lions would finish the season similarly as aggressive. Detrout was 2-2 in the season finale in Green Bay, getting a pair of clutch catches from wideout DJ Chark in the fourth quarter, including the game ender on fourth-and-one:
Boom.
#DETvsGB 📺 NBC
The Lions have seemed to have an understanding of when to go, and a good track record when doing so this season.
Campbell One of NFL’s Most Aggressive Coaches
No matter what others think of his tactics, it’s clear that Campbell doesn’t mind gambling and will continue to roll the dice on fourth down when he feels it acceptable. So far, that’s been the one hallmark of his tenure as Detroit’s head coach.
During the 2021 season, the Lions were considered one of the league’s most aggressive teams on fourth down as well, and early on this past season, it was clear that trend had continued into 2022. That’s in spite of the tactic arguably costing them in a few close games.
During a 2021 game in Chicago, the Lions had momentum after some stops and late scores, and were moving down the field again. Instead of kicking a field goal, Campbell elected to go for a fourth down and avoided putting points on the board. The Lions would go on to lose.
This season, while Campbell has had plenty of bright spots on the down much like in 2021, his failures have been larger in scope. Campbell passed by a fourth down chance or punt for a 54 yard field goal in Minnesota and lost, and also had a curious call to go for it before halftime against New England on fourth-and-nine on his resume.
It’s clear Campbell is going to continue to roll the dice and be aggressive on the down. The good news for Lions fans? That, along with his other decision making, seems to pay off more often than not.