For better or worse, aggressive play-calling has become a defining characteristic of Detroit Lions head man Dan Campbell’s coaching style.
In 2024 alone, the Lions kept the offense on the field on 33 fourth downs, good for the fourth-most fourth-down tries in the NFL. Campbell’s squad also converted on 22 of those fourth-down attempts, tying the Rams for the seventh-highest conversion percentage (66.7).
The only teams with more fourth-down tries than Detroit a season ago were the Giants (37), the Bears (38) and the Browns (44). Unlike the Lions, though, the Giants, the Bears and the Browns each finished with losing records last season, combining for a total of 40 losses. Meanwhile, Campbell & Co. lost just two games while tying the Chiefs for a league-best 15 victories.
It begs the question: Now that Detroit has taken the next step and become a playoff team, does it need to stay ultra aggressive?
Professional sports handicapper Steve Fezzik certainly thinks the answer is no, and believes that Detroit’s aggression will work against it this upcoming season.
“So, the Lions are like (pro poker player) Chris Moneymaker. They directionally figured it out before the rest of the NFL: We want to go for it. We want to go for it way more than the rest of the league. So, they had an advantage, but they’re not optimal,” Fezzik said on the “Even Money Podcast” with Ross Tucker. “They make bad decisions. They go for it too much. They go for it fourth-and-goal from the 6, because Dan Campbell just decides, ‘That’s what we do.’ They go for it when they’re up 14 in the playoffs, when they could kick a field goal to go up 17 against San Francisco (in the NFC Championship Game) late in the third quarter. Mistake.
“So, given that and given these other NFL teams who were sissies and weren’t aggressive enough have moved more to optimality and the Lions are too aggressive, the Lions will actually have a disadvantage, in my opinion, this year versus a lot of teams.”
Lions fans, unsurprisingly, didn’t take too kindly to that take from Fezzik. Here’s just a sample of the negative reaction:
Campbell’s aggressive ways and relentless approach have helped him become one of the most popular head coaches in professional sports today. He and Detroit general manager Brad Holmes have established a winning culture in the Motor City, and were rewarded with multi-year contract extensions last March for their efforts.
