Dan Campbell has been instrumental in the Detroit Lions becoming contenders since being given the role of head coach in 2021. However, expectations have shifted, and a former All-Pro says there are no excuses this season for Campbell.

While speaking to Woodward Sports Network, former Detroit Lions All-Pro Braylon Edwards believes that the time for excuses is over for Campbell, considering the Lions have addressed their major concerns from last season.

“Now you’ve got the offensive line, now you’ve bought in better coaches, now you have a system that works for you, and now you even draft it along the lines of what you should be doing,” said Edwards. “There aren’t a lot of excuses to be had for Dan Campbell this year.”

Last season, the Lions missed the playoffs entirely, despite clinching the first seed in the season prior.

Edwards, while speaking to Woodward Sports Network, stated that the Lions made several poor decisions after losing key personnel, which ultimately cost them the playoffs.

“I believe that you see the ascension, you see the rise, you see how good the team got, you see what he was able to in a three-year snapshot, had a bad year, didn’t necessarily make the decisions that they should have, whether it’s the coaching staff, whether it’s the offensive lineman,” said Edwards. “In that offseason, leading up to the season, you have a bad year, you have a down year.”

After the loss of both their coordinators, the Lions went ahead with John Morton as offensive coordinator and Kelvin Sheppard as defensive coordinator.

While Sheppard is still with the team after an impressive first half of the season, before injuries caused major problems, Morton had his play-calling duties taken away and has now been replaced by Drew Petzing.

With the coaching staff finally stabilized, Edwards felt that the onus the upcoming season is on Dan Campbell. And one NFL analyst gives his thoughts on how the head coach can improve next season.

NFL analyst talks about where Campbell must improve next season

Dan Campbell is now entering his sixth season as the Lions' head coach, and he has established himself as one of the best in the league. While not known for being a tactician, he has a strong command of the locker room.

However, there are still places where Campbell can improve, according to Vito Chirco of Sports Illustrated.

“Campbell has already cemented his status as one of the league’s premier head men,” wrote Chirco. “However, if he can cut down the costly mistakes, ease the transition to Petzing, and become wiser with his fourth-down decision-making, he’ll put the Lions in a better position to finally bring the Lombardi Trophy to the Motor City.”

Chirco also pointed out how the Lions conceding penalties such as false starts, offsides, and unnecessary personal fouls is not how Super Bowl teams play, and that Campbell has to ensure that the Lions play more disciplined football.

While Campbell has a lot of expectations on him this season, he has a better squad and an offensive coordinator more well-suited to the Lions, this time compared to last season.

If Campbell’s track record with those circumstances is anything to go by, we can expect the Lions to become contenders for the Lombardi Trophy next season.

What are your expectations for Campbell, and where do you think he has to improve next season? Let us know in the comments!  

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit