Usually, when a team dominates in sports, they’re derided by the rest of the league—unless that team is a perennial underdog like the Detroit Lions. They just locked up the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a dominant division win on Sunday night. But they’re not just fun to watch on the field, they’re the “feel-good” team in the NFL this year, and a lot of that starts at the top with head coach Dan Campbell.
Advertisement
Campbell is as likable as they come. He’s got an easy smile, but also a frightening scowl. He’s passion personified “on a weekly basis”, according to Colin Cowherd. Campbell simply seems like the “perfect coach” for this time and place in NFL history. He loves the Motor City, and it loves him right back, as Cowherd said on his show on Monday.
“There is no denying for this city, for this roster, for this locker room and for this time, Dan Campbell’s the perfect coach. Sometimes the NFL messaging from coaches can seem a little cringy or cheesy. Not to the players… Dan Campbell, on a weekly basis after winning, is almost in tears preaching the message and his devotion to the city of Detroit and the Lions.”
The FS1 pundit compared this Lions team to a similarly cursed MLB franchise, saying that the Lions are “the Chicago Cubs in shoulder pads.” The Cubs snapped a 108-year championship drought in 2016 and were similarly viewed as “lovable losers” around the nation.
Detroit will hope that they can do the same with their 67-year championship drought. It runs back to 1957, when people had to watch John Henry Johnson and Tobin Rote pummel the Cleveland Browns 59-14 on black and white TV sets. It’s time for a change.
The Lions had seven Pro Bowlers, led the league in points, and finished 2nd in total offense. However, the universal love for the Lions is arguably more about the grit and grind that Detroit is known for and how this Lions team embodies the ethos of toughness even with a high-flying offense. Campbell and company don’t just care about numbers, they care about attitude, and Cowherd loves it.
“There is a brotherhood and a masculinity that I’ll be honest, I like. The Detroit Lions are a symbol of so many things that are great about the NFL. Every game matters. Grit and toughness. Which our society can always use is really paramount. And again, unapologetically alpha.”
View this post on Instagram
It is true that our society has replaced a bit of its toughness with more understanding. The great thing about Campbell is, he’s the perfect amount of both. You can see the tears in his eyes and the passion and love he has for his guys. But you can also see the strong and rigid standard he sets on the field every week.
Campbell is clearly loved by his roster; he’s a “player’s coach”. But he’s also got an old-school mentality. None of this resting starters stuff. They’re playing every game all the way, no matter the mathematical situation in the standings.
Dan Campbell has many strong beliefs—his 4th-down aggressiveness, his rare “every game matters” ideology—and the thing that is most admirable about him is that he always sticks to them. He doesn’t waver, and his Lions haven’t yet this year, either.
