The Debate Over Dan Campbell’s Future in Detroit

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00:00There's some cooking right now in Detroit that bothers me to my core,

00:04and I want to stand up for the fine people of Detroit.

00:07They die hard.

00:08Lions fans and Dan Campbell as well.

00:11What's happening?

00:11So the Detroit Lions, as it stands right now, are on the outside looking in.

00:14They are.

00:15Last year, of course, they were the number one seed.

00:17They lost that very first round after the bye to Washington and Jaden Daniels.

00:22So no playoff wins last year despite being the number one seed.

00:25The year before that, of course, they get to the NFC Championship game,

00:28have a chance to go to the Super Bowl, and they come up just short, right?

00:33There's a rallying cry.

00:35I want to be clear.

00:37It's a vocal minority.

00:38It's not the majority, but it's loud enough that it's come across my desk,

00:43and I have no connection to Detroit whatsoever other than my dear friend

00:46Tim Hardaway Sr. and his son Jr., right?

00:49Yeah.

00:50And what's amazing to me is that there's a small but loud movement now in Detroit

00:56that maybe it's time for Dan Campbell to go, buh-bye.

01:01And that baffles me because, yes, you have built a juggernaut of a team.

01:07You have a team that's got legitimate championship aspirations since Dan Campbell

01:13turned it around from year one to year two, and Jared Goff became a MVPS quarterback, right?

01:19But for 34 years prior to that, you did not win a playoff game.

01:26You were literally the most embarrassing franchise in the NFL that never had a chance in September

01:34to dream the impossible dream.

01:36Now, to be fair, Dan Campbell has come up short, and he looks like he's coming up short again

01:41this year because, again, right now they're on the outside looking in.

01:45It's a huge game tomorrow night against the Dallas Cowboys.

01:48If the Dallas Cowboys beat them and the Cowboys are pretty hot right now,

01:52I'm not sure if there's an avenue for the Lions to get back in.

01:56It'd be very tough for them.

01:58Yeah, because after that they play at the Rams.

02:00Tough game.

02:01Steelers, which they should win.

02:02Okay, I'll give you that one.

02:03At the Vikings they'd win.

02:04I'll give you that one.

02:05But then they play at the Bears, which is far from a gimme anymore.

02:08Right, and the Bears right now are the number one seed overall.

02:10Right.

02:11And they proved against Philly on Friday night, which they're going to prove, I think,

02:14the rest of the season, you know, we're going to run the football down your throats.

02:17Even Ben Johnson came out after the win against Philly and said, here's the reality.

02:21We're winning in spite of our passing game.

02:23We're not winning because of it.

02:25And they proved that Friday night, obviously, against Philadelphia.

02:28But I want to remind people in Detroit, remember what football was like for 34 years

02:35before Dan Campbell got there.

02:38You know, it's kind of like Yankee fans saying, oh, I got to win a World Series every year.

02:41It's not realistic.

02:43But the difference between the Yankees and the Lions is that the Yankees have never had

02:47a 34-year drought without winning a playoff game.

02:51That has never happened.

02:52But that was the norm in Detroit.

02:55So while, yes, you have every right to be disappointed that you didn't win a playoff game

03:00last year as the one seed, that you are on the outside looking in this year, and it bothers

03:05you because you have the talent, I think, to win a Super Bowl right now.

03:08So you're in the right spot to be disappointed.

03:13But for those of you that think Dan Campbell is the reason why, remember what football was

03:20like before Dan Campbell.

03:22And you can't take that for granted.

03:24Now, I'm not saying Dan Campbell should be coached for life.

03:27There's going to come a point if they don't get to a Super Bowl or win a Super Bowl where

03:33you're going to have to make a very tough decision and part ways with Dan Campbell because

03:37every team does that with their best coaches at some point, right?

03:41They do.

03:42You know, the Cowboys said goodbye to Tom Landry, right?

03:44That happens.

03:45They said goodbye to Jimmy Johnson.

03:47That happens.

03:48The Giants said goodbye to Tom Coughlin.

03:50The Patriots said goodbye to Bill Belichick.

03:53It happens.

03:54But the fact is, you're only in the place you're in because Dan Campbell is your head coach.

04:02Now, look, the offense does not look great lately.

04:04I don't know why.

04:06I know he took play calling away from the offensive coordinator.

04:08It has not been great since he took it over.

04:11But I'm begging you, fine people of Detroit, you have to think this one through with your

04:17head and not your heart.

04:19You cannot get rid of Dan Campbell.

04:23It'd be a return to the same crap you did for more than three decades in a row, meaning

04:30bad football, maybe a lucky wild card appearance here and there with an immediate exit from

04:37the playoffs.

04:37And you cannot take for granted what Dan Campbell has done in turning that franchise around.

04:44And if there's any coach, I think, you know, hold on, she's fishing again.

04:48One second.

04:49One second.

04:50Oh, she landed a tuna, Tyrone.

04:53She's got tuna on.

04:55All right, we're going to keep an eye on this.

04:56Hopefully she'll land that tuna by the end of the show.

04:59But here's the bottom line.

05:00You cannot take for granted what Dan Campbell did for the franchise.

05:06And that doesn't give you grace forever, but it's got to give you grace right now.

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