Colin Cowherd: “Did the Niners win it or did the Lions lose it? To be honest, it kind of felt like the latter. It took a lot to beat Detroit – themselves, a reckless head coach, a ball that ricocheted off a defender and became a 51-yard San Francisco catch, a dropped pass or THREE, and a key fumble by a talented rookie. Detroit is an excellent young football team, but San Francisco is an excellent VETERAN football team. I like Dan Campbell, a former player, but he often coaches like one. Reckless and too emotional. Dan, it’s 24-10, you’re on the road, you probably should kick a field goal and make it a three-score game, but he didn’t. He’s created a ‘tough’ and ‘cool’, ‘alpha’ vibe but the general needs to be above the infantry, to make stoic, strategic, and unemotional decisions... Dan Campbell lives for every play. That’s what players do, that’s not what leaders should do. Detroit has got the ‘alpha, the ‘tough’, and the ‘aggressive’, but the cerebral part of the Lions now, OC Ben Johnson, he’s the brainiac. He’s leaving and taking a head coaching job. ‘Reckless’ has never hoisted trophies in this sport. There’s a line between aggressive and reckless, but doesn’t it feel like Dan crosses it regularly? It’s easy to like, the ‘bite the kneecaps’ stuff was funny, and ‘sad’ Detroit finally had a coach as big as a house, cool, a vibe, a culture, there was a lot to like... But winning a beer drinking contest is cool too... In college... And then you get a job and have real responsibilities, it’s called being a grown-up. Be emotional but never be unhinged. I loved the first phase of Detroit – from awful, to alpha, to good, a stacked roster – they were here for the moment and earned every inch of it, but it’s time to pivot to what Kansas City does in big games, or what the Niners did in the second half. Efficiency, not losing your mind... I like Dan. He’s never going to be McVay, Shanahan, I don’t think he’s LaFleur, certainly not Andy Reid; I like parts of him. You hope Detroit can maintain the alpha, the toughness, and the aggressiveness, but ditch the recklessness, unhinged against Dallas. So much I like about Dan, but you could have made it a three-score game. Mistakes are okay. Getting occasionally over-emotional is okay, but you gotta learn from it and not defend it.”
Watch Colin Cowherd of FS1’s The Herd call out Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell on his ‘reckless’ play-calling in Detroit’s 34-31 loss in the NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers, as Campbell’s decisions to routinely go for it on fourth down proved costly for the Cinderella story Lions.
Check out the segment above as Colin rips Campbell for losing grip of common sense during the biggest game in franchise history and ultimately blowing a 24-7 halftime lead.
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