Power Ranking the Lions new coaching and front office hires

Detroit Lions: Coaching and Front Office Power Rankings

A move that I’ll just have to give a chance…

7. Dan Campbell- Head Coach

This one came out of nowhere, and my first reaction was a pretty negative one. I still am very skeptical as to Campbell’s head coaching chops, but the staff around him seems like it’s going to be so solid that as long as he stays humble and really listens to the people around him, he’ll have a shot at success.

To be fair, I was in college at the time and pulled the plug fairly quickly on the 2006 and 2008 seasons, but I have no recollection of Dan Campbell as a Lions player. I suspect that if people are being honest with themselves, a very high percentage of fans reading this have no recollection of it either.

I find it irritating and untrue that some are trying to frame this as a ‘beloved team legend returning home’ sort of thing. I’ve even seen people suggest that his throwback No. 89 jersey be put into the team store… really? This isn’t like Joe Schmidt coming back to coach the team long ago, or as if Spielman, or Barry Sanders, or Matthew Stafford in fifteen years were coming back to do so. Campbell was a non-factor backup on an 0-16 team, and in his best season gave about half of a typical Eric Ebron year production-wise.

As for Campbell’s head coaching credibility, there’s not all that much to go on. He’s never been a coordinator but does have a dozen games (a not-awful 5-7 record with Miami) under his belt as an interim head coach. When people were putting together lists of potential candidates for the head job towards the end of the season, Campbell’s name did show up at the bottom of those lists from time to time, but there was really nobody clamoring for him until after the fact.

Campbell’s opening press conference brought a strange new turn of phrase and mixed reactions from observers (the kneecaps thing is weird, but in sort of an endearing way. I actually liked the energy that he brought to the podium).

If Campbell had been the one to get rid of Stafford, I don’t think I ever would have forgiven him, so the trade happening by Stafford’s request possibly saved a tough decision from Campbell and Brad Holmes.

After a much-publicized coaching search, my impression was that the Lions struck out on some of the hotter names that they really wanted. I’ve seen too many unprepared head coaches crash and burn in Detroit to automatically jump on the bandwagon for Campbell. Campbell will very much be an ‘I’ll believe it when I see it” deal for me. However, he’s the guy leading the way now, and at any rate, he’s come off a lot better at his early press opportunities than Matt Patricia ever did.