The Detroit Lions have been making waves around the NFL with their unique approach to football, and not everybody has been a fan of the way Dan Campbell coaches his team.
In Week 14, the Lions continued to show their guts, going 4-for-5 on fourth-down including a particularly bold call late in the game to ensure the victory. Many believe the Lions have been too aggressive and reckless, but not former cornerback Richard Sherman.
Sherman is a big fan of what Campbell does. On "The Richard Sherman Podcast," he revealed he believes the Lions are breaking the traditional mold.
"What more can you say about Dan Campbell? He's going for it on fourth-down. People are tired of this old prehistoric NFL. It's just like the 40-yard dash. It's archaic. At some point you got to challenge the norms if you want to be different. If you want to do something that's never been done, you've got to do things that have never been done and that's what Dan Campbell is doing. He's not just saying 'hey, fourth-down, we'll just punt, we'll kick a field goal. I know that's the right thing to do. I know that's what they're expecting. I know that's what the rule book says.' What rule book? It just says win."
With this unique approach, Campbell has had more success than any Lions coach in the modern era, so there seems to be a method to his madness.
Richard Sherman roasts Tedy Bruschi for disrespecting Dan Campbell's approach
One of the most vocal critics in the aftermath of Detroit's win over the Packers was ESPN's Tedy Bruschi, who wasn't a fan of how the Lions managed the game and let everybody know it. But Sherman had a message for Bruschi, revolving around the idea there are plenty of different ways to win in the NFL.
"I got a lot of respect for Tedy Bruschi. Played the game right. Played the game at a high level. Won Super Bowls. Just stop Tedy. Just stop, because I wouldn't want you on my sideline thinking like that. 'Whoa, I mean, you gotta act like winners.' What? Act like winners? They're 12-1. Like, 'you got to stop playing like you're biting kneecaps.' If that's their culture and that's what they've built and they feel like underdogs and they play well like that and they got a bunch of guys who believe in it, what does it matter to you how they get it done? Now it's how you win. So if he would have just kicked the field goal on fourth-and-one and Green Bay drove down the field and scored a touchdown, you would have been like 'well, they lost the right way. They made the right decision even though they lost.' No, he's playing winning football and his team loves it and he loves it."
The Lions are 12-1 and cruising toward a Week 15 showdown with the Buffalo Bills. There's no reason to think they should change anything about the approach that has gotten them to this point. Sherman clearly agrees with that assessment.