The Detroit Lions’ would-be winning two-point conversion attempt heard ’round the football world could’ve broken a lesser team. Rex Ryan blew a gasket on TV about it, to the point where he questioned the officiating crew chief Brad Allen’s manhood.
Lions coach Dan Campbell was incensed afterwards, but rather than letting that anger spill over, linger, and render his team unproductive, his gang of kneecap-biting NFC North champions are moving forward with a vengeance.
Or, as Campbell so eloquently puts it, “controlled fury.”
“I’ve got controlled fury, and I’m ready to go. I am absolutely ready to go. I don’t go the other way. The team won’t either. We’re on a mission, and we’re not gonna feel sorry for ourselves, and wallow in everything.
We had plays to make. We didn’t make ’em. It’s a tight game, a good opponent, playoff-type atmosphere, and you gotta make that one extra play that we didn’t. So we will use this as fuel. I got pure octane right now. I woke up, I’m ready, so we’re moving forward.”
Makes you want to run through a brick wall for this guy. Being a former player as a head coach has to carry so much weight in the locker room. Campbell used to be a hard-nosed tight end. I’m certain the raging success of rookie Sam LaPorta is thanks in no small part to Campbell’s tutelage.
Credit to LaPorta for his hard work, and to the Iowa football program (pathetic offense notwithstanding) for doing a fine job developing that position.
But at a certain point, I think we have to recognize that Campbell is a brilliant leader. Everyone wanted to write him off for his opening presser rhetoric. Many still view him as a meathead. Campbell has brass balls when it comes to rolling the dice in high-leverage situations. Never hesitates to go for it on fourth down.
Plays to win, not to not lose. See: This fake punt…
I don’t think most people remember, too, that Campbell actually called the Lions’ offensive plays for a while, following Detroit’s Week 9 bye in 2021, his maiden season at the helm. Jared Goff praised the job Campbell did in that capacity. It just so happens that Ben Johnson has taken over as the new buzzy offensive coordinator/head coach candidate.
The way Campbell has framed the officiating debacle in Dallas is precisely how I figured he would when it all went down. Just use that sh*t as motivation. Anything to rally around and alleviate some of the pressure the Lions face as they try to make something over their first division title in three decades.
They’re officially one week away from hosting a home playoff game against their longtime franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
I think both teams can say they’re happy with what came from that blockbuster trade. Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl. Detroit rebuilt its roster for sustained success, and that vision is finally coming to fruition. However, nobody expected the Rams to be in the postseason this year. They can play fast and loose in the Motor City. That makes them dangerous.
Now, though? The Lions have something else to channel their energy toward. The loss to the Cowboys cost them a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They must feel slighted. You gotta feel bad for the Vikings coming to Detroit this Sunday. I think Campbell and Co. are going to unleash a controlled-fury can of whoop-a** on the Vikes.
