The Detroit Lions had a golden opportunity to pick up their first win of the 2021 season when they hosted a bad Chicago Bears team on Thanksgiving Day.
The Lions got off to a good start as they took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and they actually led 14-13 until the final second of the game.
There were a plethora of things that went wrong for the Lions during the loss but local blogger Erik Schlitt says Dan Campbell is to blame due to his “lack of creativity on offense” and the “timeout debacle” that took place at the end of the game.
Here is some of Schlitt's rationale for placing primary blame on Cambell.
“Then there is the double timeout debacle at the end of the game. The Lions were facing the clock as much as they were facing the Chicago Bears late in the game and Campbell attempted to save a touchdown by calling a timeout. The problem was you can’t do that in the NFL after calling a timeout on the previous play. That put the Bears in third and manageable, allowing for an easy first down, and an eventual clock draining two minutes of kneel-downs, followed by the game-winning field goal.
Since taking over play-calling duties, Campbell’s focus on the rest of the elements of being a head coach has suffered. If the offense was significantly better since the change and there was something to show for it, I would understand the move, but the offense is only marginally better and other aspects of his job have declined. It’s hard enough being a head coach in this league, but taking on a brand new job of play calling as well seems too much. Campbell should examine his role over the extended week to see if there is a way of lightening his load.”
Do you agree with Erik?
