The Detroit Lions have hired Dan Campbell to be their head coach, and finally, all the hires across the league for the 2021 season have been made official.
So where does Campbell stack up against his peers who also got jobs within the last few weeks? Recently, Sports Illustrated took a look at handing out a letter grade to the teams for their work thus far, and when it came to Campbell, average was the name of the game.
The move didn’t get a high grade from Conor Orr, nor did it get the lowest. The Lions were smack dab in the middle with a C+ mark for Campbell’s appointment, making the move not great but not exactly terrible in the mind of the writer.
Orr wrote:
“However, the most exciting aspect of his coaching tenure so far seems to be a willingness to diversify his staff and provide high-profile jobs to minority candidates who were thought to either need “seasoning” or were not deemed ready for the role. Having Anthony Lynn as a full-time offensive coordinator is a win, especially if they end up developing a young starter at QB. Having Aaron Glenn as a defensive coordinator is a win.
I’m assuming the Lions are betting on Campbell’s ability to have a Mike Vrabel–esque presence on the team while his coordinators do a lot of the heavy lifting schematically. And while Vrabel is great, we will see what the Titans look like now that Smith will be coaching in Atlanta. Will that be an enduring fad?
Campbell may have scared some fans off with his Wild West routine at his opening press conference, but if he is able to invest in the kind of players who buy into that type of hokum, the Lions may quickly carve themselves into something of an annoying divisional road block for the NFC North’s bluebloods. That is far more than we can say about the Lions under Matt Patricia.”
The goal for the Lions isn’t just to compete in the NFC North and be a speed bump for the best teams, but become one of those teams. By being bold and aggressive with their hires thus far this offseason, that is the message ownership has sent, meaning the hire should be a bit higher rated than some are giving it credit for.
Grades won’t make or break what happens to Campbell in Detroit, though. The players as well as his support system will. So far, that support system is strong. It can be argued Campbell has done a better job to build a staff than Detroit darling Robert Saleh has done with New York.
All of this will be settled on the field in the coming years, but for now, some folks see the move as merely average.
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Why Fans Should Be Excited About Dan Campbell
If the hire felt like a C+ move, it should feel like a lot more than that at this point after the staff the Lions have been putting together. Not only does the team have loads of talent in the front office with John Dorsey and Ray Agnew, but they have added elite coaches to the staff, most of whom have NFL experience. That will only help a new coach who doesn’t have coordinator experience. If folks are using Campbell’s press conference as a reason to drag the hire down, the introductory presser should be another reason the fans are motivated. Campbell understands how important the Lions franchise is as well as the city of Detroit, which is a huge win for him.
Dan Campbell’s Career Stats
Campbell, a four-year letter winner at Texas A&M, started his NFL playing career with the New York Giants as a third-round pick in 1999, where the journeyman tight end stayed until 2002. From 2003-2005, he played for the division rival Dallas Cowboys before signing with the Lions in 2006. After three seasons in Detroit, Campbell finished his career in New Orleans in 2009, helping the Saints win Super Bowl XLIV.
Following that, he retired and broke into the coaching ranks the Miami Dolphins as a coaching intern in 2010. The following season, he was promoted to the team’s tight end coach, where he served from 2011-2015, later taking over as the team’s interim coach after the firing of Joe Philbin. He led Miami to a respectable 5-7 record after taking over a bad situation. In 2016, he re-joined New Orleans, where he’s worked under future Hall of Fame head coach Sean Payton ever since.
As a player, Campbell was solid, hauling in 91 passes for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns in his decade-long career, including 330 yards and four touchdowns across 19 games in Detroit. Last with the Lions in 2008, he would know all about the situation he is now walking into and what must happen for change to come.
This connection to the city and appreciation for the job could be something that is overlooked now, but it could be the reason Campbell ends up much better than a C+ hire when all is said and done.
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Analyst Gives Lions Hire of Dan Campbell Average Grade