It might seem like hyperbole to say the Detroit Lions are setting back the game of football with their offensive play calls in 2021, but with a national television audience on Thanksgiving, the rest of the world got to understand how that could potentially be the case.
The Lions struggled badly against the Chicago Bears to the tune of just 14 points and an ugly 239 yards of total offense. Worse yet, the Lions continue to look sloppy and fail at executing the fundamentals, and everyone who was sitting around for the game was a captive audience for the mess.
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That includes NFL Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson. Simpson, a man who would understand what a good offense would look like given the fact he rushed for 11,236 yards and 61 touchdowns in his career. As the game was playing out, Simpson hopped on Twitter and offered up a take about what was failing the Detroit offense that seemed spot-on.
I don’t get it. Who is calling these plays? #DETvsCHI
“I don’t get it, Detroit is throwing three, four yard passes. Then on third and like three, you throw the ball to a guy behind the line of scrimmage. You’re not throwing the ball down field so all the defense is playing up. They’re coming forward. What makes you think a swing pass behind the line of scrimmage is going to gain any yards? I don’t get it, just saying,” Simpson said in the clip posted to his Twitter account.
As for who is calling the plays, as Simpson asks, it was indeed Detroit head coach Dan Campbell, who took over the reigns from Anthony Lynn in Week 10. That story has become a bit bigger as the Lions have struggled through on the field in the last few weeks. Campbell himself has shown a reluctance to push the ball downfield, which has drawn frustrations from many for the same reasons Simpson points out. Detroit is playing into the hands of the defense by allowing them to set up short and attack.
If Campbell sticks with calling plays, the Lions could continue to run into similar mistakes the rest of the season, which would likely confuse Simpson and others.
Lions Offense Struggling Through 2021
In spite of the fact that the Lions scored a pair of touchdowns on Thanksgiving against Chicago, that was all the team managed to do right. Overall, they only put u 14 points on the day and that is right on par with. what has happened the last few weeks. Since Dan Campbell took over play calling duties, the Lions have scored 16, 10 and 14 points in games, which shows the lack of cohesion and explosive ability for the team. As a whole, the Lions have one of the worst offenses in the league, showing up at 29th overall. With regard to the pass, the Lions are 30th overall in the league with just 194.6 yards per-game. On the ground, Detroit’s been the 19th rated rushing attack in the league with 110.7 yards per-game.
No matter who is calling the plays, the Lions lack playmakers and that is showing with regards to these ugly numbers so far this season.
Dan Campbell Draws Other Criticism for Offense
It’s not just Simpson who believes the Lions are going about things all wrong on the offensive side of the ball. As the game was playing out, there were multiple folks who hopped on Twitter to slam the coach for the plays he was dialing up on the field. As Brett Whitefield of the FTN Network tweeted, the more he sees of Campbell as a play caller, the more worried he is about the team.
I was all in on Dan Campbell until he started calling plays.
While it’s very hard to evaluate anything on offense until the Lions have a QB and NFL caliber receivers, I am starting to get concerned.
Campbell isn’t the usual play caller, and the Lions could look to make changes this offseason on offense. It’s clear that will have to happen if the team is to improve at all on the field in the future, or else more takes like Simpson’s will be arising in the coming days.
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O.J. Simpson Brilliantly Rips Lions Play Calling in Thanksgiving Loss