New Lions coach Dan Campbell comes to Detroit after serving as Saints assistant coach since '16GETTY IMAGES
Lions Owner Sheila Ford Hamp has "taken a swing for the fences" with her new regime of GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell, according to Jeff Seidel of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. One "would feel a heck of a lot better if either Holmes or Campbell had more experience." But "that’s the risk." Give Ford Hamp "credit for trying to create something new," as it "would have been easy to hire a GM with experience, or a coach with experience, or the hot name just to make the fans happy." But she did not, instead following a "different plan," hoping for a "big payoff and long-term success." Ford Hamp’s vision now is "clear: she is trying to build an organization that is cohesive and collaborative" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/21). In Detroit, Shawn Windsor writes if there is a "single reason" Ford Hamp hired Campbell, it is because she "didn’t want another dictator prowling her sideline." Ford Hamp "understands that to win in the NFL these days, communication, leadership and motivation are essential." If Campbell "only arrives with these traits, the Lions should be better off moving forward" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/21).
QUESTIONS REMAIN: In Detroit, Mitch Albom writes on "face value, the new regime they just announced is, in a word, underwhelming." And that is "not an insult" but an "impression." When one hires candidates who are "down the depth chart on their current teams, men who have never done the job you’re hiring them to do on a permanent basis, men who few other teams in the NFL were courting, you can’t expect fans to jump up and down." This is "another leap of faith for an organization that, frankly, lost its pulpit a long time ago" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/21). Also in Detroit, Bob Wojnowski writes the Lions, "by most accounts, picked good people," but, "as always, it’s unclear if they picked the right structure." This is a "melding of disparate personalities, each hired independently of the other," and that will be "considered a mistake by some." Wojnowski: "Why didn’t the GM name his coach?" It is a "fair question," though others can cite the example of former GM Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia being "joined at the hip." Lions President Rod Wood said that neither Holmes nor Campbell "would have 'final say' on roster issues." Instead, decisions "would be 'collaborative,'" involving VP/Football Operations Mike Disner as well, with all reporting to Ford Hamp and Wood (DETROIT NEWS, 1/21).
SHOWING COMMITMENT: PFT’s Mike Florio said the Lions signing Campbell to a six-year deal is the “tax that you pay when you are a dysfunctional team." Florio: “You’ve got to prove to everyone that it’s not a revolving door, that we’re not just going to fire you in a year or two, so you put your money where your mouth is and you sign the guy for six years." That "doesn't mean they have to keep him for six years, but it ... sends a message on the way through the door, ‘We’re going to restrain ourselves or at least try to if we get tempted to fire this guy after two for three seasons’” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 1/21).
