Detroit Lions’ Dan Campbell: Where Does He Stand in NFL Head Coach Rankings?
The Detroit Lions’ first pre-season game is coming up on Aug. 12 against the Falcons, but who’s counting? Okay, I’m actually counting down the days, because I absolutely love football season, whether it’s pro or college.
There’s lots of buzz surrounding the Lions’ team this year, which is under the direction of head coach Dan Campbell for a second season. But, will he, and they, deliver? If Campbell and the team do come through, I’m pretty sure Detroit will explode with excitement.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin recently released his ranking of the 32 head coaches in the NFL. He ranked Campbell at No. 30, only ahead of the Houston Texans’ Lovie Smith (No. 32) and the Chicago Bears’ Matt Eberflus (No. 31). He placed the Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid as the No. 1 head coach in the league. Regarding the ranking, Benjamin said, “Detroit won’t like this, because he took the nickname ‘Dan the Man’ to new heights as a first-timer, invoking archaic humanity with his tearful war cries and knee-cap speeches. But energy doesn’t equate to wins, as his 3-13-1 debut confirmed, and not even an influx of speedy weapons may absolve the continued commitment to QB Jared Goff.”
Coming in at No. 30 isn’t great, but not everyone agrees that the Lions are at the bottom. Sports Illustrated All Lions’ Christian Booher ranked the Motor City head coach No. 17. That’s a pretty high ranking for a second year coach. Booher stated, “Campbell has done a very good job of changing the culture in Detroit. His quips have made him popular among the media, and he’s shown to be open and authentic. Now, he’ll have to live up to the standards he’s setting inside the team’s walls. He’s handled the mindset change, now Campbell must win games.”
