Ryan Clark: Dan Campbell Is Only NFL Coach Who Would Have Made Crucial Risky Decision

Campbell's bold decisions paid off again for the Detroit Lions.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell walks the sideline during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Grace Hollars/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

With the Lions knotted up with the Packers and facing a fourth-and-1 from well inside field goal range, knowing full well most other coaches would simply kick the go-ahead field goal and leave Jordan Love 40 seconds left on the clock, Dan Campbell did what he always does and stayed aggressive. A stumbling Jared Goff only delayed the inevitability of David Montgomery breaking through the line with a run that allowed Detroit to send Jake Bates out to win the game as time expired. It was an unconventional decision but it actually would have been more bizarre if Campbell had settled for three without taking a swing for the jugular.

This time it worked out. Heck, four out of five times on Thursday it worked out to keep Detroit's offense on the field. Campbell seems to understand better than 99 percent of coaches that their team should do the exact thing the opponent doesn't want them to do.

To be a Lions fan is to understand just how valuable that mindset is on the scoreboard and in the locker room. So much so that at this point it's shocking to them that more coaches don't coach like Campbell.

Ryan Clark on Friday morning praised Campbell for being himself while stating the Lions head man is the only coach in the NFL who would have tried to pick up the first down and run out the clock.

"There is one coach in the entire NFL that makes that decision ... That's Dan Campbell."

—@Realrclark25 on the Lions head coach going for it on fourth down plays against the Packers pic.twitter.com/xRgW7tqAO4

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 6, 2024

Clark may be right. We may never know. But if he is correct, then it won't be that way for long. Other coaches around the league have to be looking at what's becoming an impressive track record of success by being aggressive in these spots, plus the praise it garners when it succeeds, and be jealous. It can't be long now until there's a group of Campbell copycats. Some will be able to sell the personality and others will have it fail spectacularly. Most won't be blessed with the offensive weapons that coordinator Ben Johnson gets to operate for Campbell. All will have to learn to stomach what happens when risk proves risky.

Campbell is light years ahead of the curve right now. It sure seems like someone's going to try their hardest to catch up.

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