After his game management potentially cost the Detroit Lions a spot in Super Bowl LVIII, Dan Campbell said he didn’t regret any of his controversial late-game decisions.
Well, what about now?
Campbell spoke with reporters on Tuesday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Unsurprisingly, the Lions head coach fielded questions about his team’s collapse against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
Dan Campbell Admits to “Greedy” Call in NFC Title Game
Over the last month, Campbell has faced significant criticism for a pair of second-half fourth-down decisions in his team’s loss to the Niners.
The Lions, who held a 17-point halftime, failed on two fourth-down tries in 49ers territory, once midway through the third quarter and again midway through the fourth. In both cases, San Francisco responded by driving for a touchdown.
Campbell still doesn’t regret those calls.
“My job is, if I can alleviate pressure, where do I do that?” Campbell said Tuesday. “How do I give our team the best chance to win?”
However, Campbell admitted regretting the controversial decision that came after those two calls.
Trailing by 10 with 1:05 left in the game and three timeouts in his pocket, Campbell inexplicably called for a run at the goal line. David Montgomery came up short, and the Lions were forced to burn their first timeout, eliminating any chance of using timeouts to stop San Fran on its next possession.
If the Lions scored a touchdown on fourth down, they’d be forced to try an onside kick.
Detroit did score on fourth down but didn’t recover the ensuing onside kick. Game over.
“If I could go back, that I felt greedy on, was at the very end of the game,” Campbell said Tuesday. “And instead of just deciding what we’re going to do on fourth down, to hold the timeout. You can run it, you can do it on third down — I should’ve waited till fourth. At least you score, you hold onto that last timeout.
“But … I thought we were gonna just pop the run. But (in) hindsight, the smarter thing is you throw it. At least you know the clock stops when you score, and you hold the timeout for one more opportunity.”
Campbell Thinks Lions Will Rebound From Collapse
There’s no guarantee the Lions will get back to the NFC Championship Game. After all, we’re talking about a franchise without a single Super Bowl appearance.
But Campbell is confident his team will rebound after last month’s crushing loss.
“Absolutely, I think we can benefit from it,” Campbell said. “You should benefit from every loss.”
KEEP READING: Lions 2024 Free Agents
Campbell added, “I think that, if the losses, if they don’t motivate you to not lose again, and for sure to not lose in the NFC Championship Game, then something’s wrong. … To me, that’s the ultimate.
“You just don’t want to have that feeling anymore. You should do whatever it takes not to want to feel that. So, absolutely, we will benefit from that.”
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