The Detroit Lions changed play callers in Week 10 and immediately reaped the benefits with Dan Campbell, but the road was much tougher for the franchise in Week 11, which left the confidence of some shaken.
Detroit put up only 319 total yards in a 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Thanks to the defense, the Lions had a chance to tie or win the game in the final stages, but simply could not get over the hump with enough scoring plays or solid fourth-down decision making to win.
Those close calls have Dan Campbell thinking about his offensive play-calling. After the disappointment on Sunday night, Campbell was feeling introspective about his own mistakes and issues, hinting he is still involved in a learning process with regard to his decision-making.
“I think there’s some things you learn. I’ll give you an example. We were second and short. It was second (and) three plus territory. I run a keeper back to the left. I hated it. And it was like ‘OK, well, do you take a shot or do you just get the first?’ And if you are going to get the first, why do that? Why not run it one more time? Or maybe it’s, you go shotgun or more of a completion play. Maybe it’s a three-step. Those are the little things you learn as you go that I think could have been a lot better. The sequencing of a couple of things that I think will really help our guys.”
As Campbell explained, when he makes a call he doesn’t like, he knows it immediately, and understands he can be better at understanding the feel of the game as it evolves. Those issues hurt him in Philadelphia.
“(I hate it) pretty quick. Very, very quickly. And by the time that thing hits 15 seconds, you’re done. You can’t get it to him anymore. And now it’s done. Is it awful? No, It’s not an awful play. (But) there’s better. And those are the things that I got to be better at. I know I can be better at. And I kicked myself a little bit.”
Certainly, there is an art to effective play calling, which is why a good offensive coordinator is worth its weight in gold. Right now, Campbell has taken over play calling duties from John Morton for the rest of the year, so the expectation is he can improve as the season wears on and he gets more of a flow.
Campbell believes Lions’ offense still capable of exploding this season
While the Lions have run hot and cold this season offensively, there is plenty of room for growth with the group. That’s true for the players as much as the head coach. Campbell understands that the Lions have an opportunity to do bigger things, and understands there is a chance to put them in place to succeed.
“There’s a lot of things I think about that are always going around in my head, A number of different ways (to improve). I just believe in these guys. I think they’re good enough. They know how to play together. We just got to be a little more consistent in areas and it takes everybody. We’re so close, but there again, we can be so potent.”
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Specifically, Campbell believes that Detroit’s big guns are playing well, and believes Amon-Ra St. Brown can clean up some of his struggles within the offense this season to turn things around late in the season.
“Jameson (Williams) right now is taking off. (Jahmyr) Gibbs is taking off. I’m not worried about the connection with (Amon-Ra) St. Brown and (Jared) Goff. That thing’s coming. I mean, it’s always there. It was just one of those days (Sunday). (If) we all elevate a little bit, including myself, we’re going to be just fine.”
Finding those improvements begins this week, entering a three game stretch at Ford Field. If the Lions can clean things up offensively, they will find themselves back in the mix for a division title and playoff birth.
