Dan Campbell Final Drive Philosophy Flawed, Proves Costly

Dan Campbell explains philosophy on the Lions' final drive against Seahawks.

It appears, based on how the Detroit Lions operated in their final offensive drive before overtime, the team played for a tie. The thinking and philosophy of head coach Dan Campbell backed up this notion.

Detroit's third-year head coach has gained a solid reputation for being ultra-aggressive, willing to go for it on fourth down, even on the Lions' own side of the field. 

Unfortunately for the Lions, Campbell's aggressiveness does not really apply to end-of-half and end-of-game situations. 

Based on comments made to 97.1 The Ticket in a recent radio interview, Campbell reverts to old-school, flawed coaching philosophies in end-of-half and game-ending situations. 

Instead of the offense, which had clearly shown an ability to move the football in the fourth quarter, marching towards the end zone for a potential go-ahead touchdown, Campbell opted instead to let the clock run down. It was seemingly an attempt to prevent the Seahawks from having an opportunity to get the football back at the end of regulation. 

More: Dan Campbell Reacts to Injuries Piling Up 

One of the key plays of the drive was the second-down incompletion to Amon-Ra St. Brown, which would have potentially altered Campbell's plans. 

"We had just come back from two scores down, right, so we’re down 10 points. We battle our way back, 1:44 (left). So, to me, you’re down three," Campbell told the "Stoney and Jansen" morning show. "At the worst-case scenario, you’re going in tied at halftime, playing in overtime. Do we agree with that? So, we know, at worst, that’s what we need to end up with. At best, we’re gonna get a touchdown. That is not end-of-game scenario, in my mind, that is end of half. That’s like we’re the end of the second quarter, that’s how we’re playing that scenario." 

But, it was not the end of the half. 

It was actually an end-of-game scenario that could have turned in the Lions' favor. 

If Goff leads the team into the end zone, leaving the Seahawks with 0:35-0:45 remaining, the pressure is amplified tremendously on Pete Carroll's squad. 

Detroit would have been leading 35-31 with a crowd that would have been in a complete frenzy. 

Decibel levels would have hit 132.4 or more. 

"So, we come from two scores down, we go, let’s make sure we just fought our way back in. We are at minimum gonna get a field goal, and we are not going to give them the chance to answer before halftime," Campbell continued. "So, we methodically drove it down, I loved what Ben called. I thought Goff did a heck of a job. We missed on a throw there. But, ultimately, we had plenty of time to answer, but we did what we needed to do to get into overtime. But, I wasn’t, at that point, down two scores, putting them in a game they didn’t want to be in, that was done.”

Instead, playing for a tie proved to be the wrong gamble.

The Seahawks won the toss in overtime, and Detroit's defense simply had no answers, just like throughout the course of 60 minutes. 

It is always a safe bet to never trust a defense, as the league stacks up the rules in the favor of the offense. 

But, I really never, ever trust a defense in overtime. 

Campbell should have pushed for his offense to score late, and that would have given Detroit the best opportunity to win its home opener. 

"You play to tie the game."

Doesn't have the same ring to it as the famous quote from Herman Edwards that I remember: "You play to win the game."