Is Dan Campbell already the best coach in Detroit Lions history? One writer thinks so.
On Thursday, the Detroit Lions clinched a playoff spot with a gigantic win over the Green Bay Packers. That win triggered another avalanche of franchise records and achievements for the Lions. It’s the first time they’ve gone to the playoff in back-to-back seasons in 30 years. It was the Lions’ 11th win in a row, which broke the previous record of 10. Oh, and it was the Lions’ 12th win in a single season—matching a franchise record that was equaled by last year’s squad.
Let me repeat that last one in a different way. The Lions’ franchise record for wins in a single season is 12. They have now accomplished that feat in back-to-back seasons, and are almost certainly going to break it this year with four games still remaining.
Thursday’s win was a true team effort, but as Morgan Cannon put it on Friday, it was a coaching masterclass. Not only did Dan Campbell’s fourth down aggression help push the Lions to victory, but it was a defensive miracle, given the fact that Detroit was forced to play a handful reserves who had been with the team less than a full week.
We are in an unprecedented era of Lions football, so I think it’s time to ask an important question:
Is Dan Campbell the best coach in Detroit Lions history?
My answer: If you were to go by win percentage, the answer is no. Campbell is firmly fourth behind a few coaching legends in Detroit history:
Potsy Clark: 53-25-7 (.679)
Buddy Parker: 47-23-2 (.671)
Dutch Clark: 14-8 (.636)
Dan Campbell: 36-27-1 (.570)
He still has a pretty long way to go, especially considering he already has more losses than the top two coaches in Lions history
Also, there’s the matter of championship. Parker gave the Lions two championships, Potsy Clark had one. George Wilson (53-45-6) also had one. Campbell doesn’t have one, and for some, that means he can’t be the franchise’s best coach until that happens.
But stats don’t tell the whole story. I don’t want to say these coaches in the 30s, 40s, and 50s had it easy… but it certainly was easier. The Lions’ championships happened when there were anywhere between nine and 12 teams in the league—not 32. Additionally, these early-era coaches never had to deal with terrible ownership or the weight of decades-long failures.
Campbell has been a literal miracle worker. Many were convinced it was not possible to win in this town ever again. They have tried every kind of hire, be it former Super Bowl winners, player favorites, or coaches from historically-winning franchises. None of it worked until Campbell came to town.
I can’t speak to the coaching styles of Parker, Clark, or Wilson, but I do know this: I have never personally witnessed the leadership skills Campbell posses in any walk of life. He’s an expert communicator, a fantastic delegator, and he has to be one of the most authentic, caring, empathic human beings to have ever walked through the halls in Detroit’s facility in Allen Park. And that’s good enough for me to crown him the best Lions coach in history.
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