Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell wears his emotions on his sleeve, and that’s just one of the many reasons players and fans love him.
We saw it in the flesh during Campbell’s post-game press conference following the Lions’ Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay BuccaneersCampbell took responsibility for the loss after Detroit’s mistake before halftime cost the team three points.
The Lions were within field goal range with eight seconds remaining and no timeouts and could have had three crucial points before halftime if they had simply kicked the ball.
But before the ball was thrown, the field goal unit ran down the field, leading to a too-many-men penalty and a 10-second runoff that ended Detroit’s chances of scoring three to end the half.
The mistake proved costly, as the three points would have allowed the Lions to win the game with a field goal late in the fourth quarter instead of having to attempt a touchdown.
After the game, Campbell fought back tears as he took responsibility for the loss, according to Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News.
“I asked for improvements from last week … and we improved,” Campbell said. “We improved. And their coach cost them. Their head coach cost them this time.”
Dan Campbell holds back tears on the podium.
“I asked for improvements from last week… and we improved. We improved. And their coach cost them. Their head coach cost them this time.”
“It’s 100% my fault. … It’s not acceptable.”
-Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) September 15, 2024
It wasn’t the only time Campbell took responsibility for the mistake, as he also did so during his halftime interview.
To be fair to Campbell, the game never should have come down to this. After all, the offense had seven total red zone drives, but the unit converted just one of them.
But you’ll never hear Campbell blame someone else when he feels he’s made his biggest mistake. He’s just not built that way.
