Getty Dan Campbell looks on during the Lions loss to the Bears in 2021.
Dan Campbell is still the only winless head coach in the NFL after Week 12, and the way the game played out on Thanksgiving Day, the coach is beginning to see some major heat for his performance.
Campbell struggled with organization and coaching fundamentals late in Thursday’s loss, and his team struggled with discipline during the game as well. As a result, Campbell began to see some heat for the way the Detroit Lions looked on the field amid their 16-14 loss.
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Former Detroit News columnist Terry Foster was all-eyes on the meltdown, and he has seen enough of Campbell to know what action he would take on the coach. As Foster tweeted, he’d fire Campbell after only one year on the job, having seen enough of his struggles on the field as a boss.
To be clear, Foster is saying that he would fire Campbell, not that the team plans on doing that or that the coach is even on the hot seat at all. Campbell signed a six year contract last offseason, so it’s likely the team plans on giving him some time to see if he can improve at all as well as get a better roster on the field in the future as part of a rebuild. It is interesting to note that Brad Holmes and Campbell are not tied at the hip, so it will be fascinating to see if that plays a role in Campbell’s future down the line.
Still, as Foster noted, Campbell is making a lot of repeat mistakes, so the news isn’t that good in terms of what he could be as a coach. As a result, he would crave a more experienced boss.
Foster has seen enough to say that he would get rid of Campbell already. It will be interesting to see where the season trends from here on out.
Campbell Received Heat Over ‘Fireable Offense’
It isn’t just folks from Detroit who are beginning to worry about Campbell. The narrative on the head coach is also very sour nationally, with many folks simply out on the Lions’ boss thanks to a lot of the same mistakes others have talked about. Campbell’s back to back timeouts late in the fourth quarter and overall team disorganization in crunch time was something that many said was a fireable offense for the head coach in real-time as the mistake played out.
That’s a fireable offense by Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell might be fun at press conferences. But that’s awful coaching. You call back to back timeouts when yin absolutely need them. Just garbage coaching. No excuse. That’s a fireable offense
Not knowing game situations is a major disappointment for a coach, and it was something that was not lost on the fanbase or anyone else to see how much he melted in the pressure moments when the game was on the line.
Campbell’s Future With Lions Likely Uncomplicated
Despite folks calling for Campbell’s dismissal such as this, the Lions aren’t likely to fire their first-year head coach no matter how big an embarrassment this game was on a national stage. Campbell has a five-year contract and the team knows the situation is a rebuild for the Lions in a big way. As a result, it would be stunning if the team were to make a panic move and fire Campbell no matter how the season finishes or what plays out. The team is more likely to stick with Campbell now and try to build around him for the future.
Even though that is the case, it’s impossible to hide from the ugly way this game ended in Detroit. Many who have seen a lot before believe the Lions should re-think Campbell as coach as a result.
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