Wojo: Lions’ fearless ways run from the top down
Allen Park — For a league that embraces gambling like no other, the NFL has an odd relationship with risk-taking. Coaches get recycled. Staid offenses and defenses get regurgitated. Convention outranks creativity. Outliers are outliers for a reason.
Into this landscape, the new Lions were reborn. Their greatest weakness for 60 years was their utter lack of structure, culture and cohesiveness. When they wiped the slate clean three years ago, they were free to try anything, to defy history and convention.
And the story of the Great Gamble was born.
The Lions aren’t headed to the NFC Championship game in San Francisco solely because Dan Campbell is the league’s most-prolific gambler. This isn’t just about fourth-down calls and fake punts. It’s about how a woeful franchise transformed itself, one calculated gamble at a time. And there’s a lesson here, one the Lions hope to sustain — find people you trust, then bet heavily on them.
It started with Sheila Ford Hamp, who took over as principal owner and chair in 2020 and rid the franchise of a disaster. Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia were the one-time “safe” picks, hired from the model New England Patriots. It was the NFL way — if you can’t build something, borrow from someone who did.
Hamp spent decades watching her parents travel the well-trod path and fail. So, before Campbell made his first gamble, Hamp started making hers. She didn’t seek out the biggest names or splashes — no Matt Millen redux. One of her first major acts was to agree to trade the Lions’ singular star, Matthew Stafford, just as soon as she found someone to do it.
It’s the beauty — and bounty — of a clean slate. There’s literally no downside to trying something different, free of fear.
Collaborating with those she trusted, such as Chris Spielman, Rod Wood and Mike Disner, Hamp opted for a first-time GM, Brad Holmes. They already had settled on a first-time, full-time head coach in Campbell, so in a sense, it was an arranged marriage.
Based on the league’s traditional models, it was unorthodox, to say the least. And then, on Jan. 21, 2021, two days after Holmes’ introduction, Campbell delivered a rollicking, mesmerizing, impassioned speech on what football means to him and what it can mean to Detroit. Yes, he mentioned “kneecaps” and a few other body parts, and that’s all anyone seemingly heard.
To stuffy, entrenched NFL insiders, it was a joke. In a league of militaristic command chains, it fell outside parameters. Locally, Detroit fans and media mostly appreciated the tearful message and its rich, raw eloquence because they lived the history. At the time, I wrote, “Some will judge him on soundbites and knee-bites, but if they do, they just might miss the point.”
A lot of people did, compounded by the Lions’ 0-10-1 start in his first season. But most of Campbell’s strategic gambits were necessitated by a talent deficit, based on data. The belief was unchanged that dramatic upheaval in aggressiveness and tone was necessary. Nationally, it was more of a free-for-all, a meathead-mocking mob mentality, and he heard it all.
Campbell collected receipts but not regrets, and he maintained the full support of his bosses. Last week, he admitted he had a whole list of “I told you so’s,” — presumably like one of those pharmacy receipt scrolls — but said, “It’s not time to pull those out yet.”
After beating Tampa Bay in a wild Ford Field to advance one step from the Super Bowl, he was asked again about the early ridicule.
“To each his own,” he said with a smile Sunday. “We’re going to the NFC Championship game with that group of guys. And they love football, they play football and that’s what they respect.”
In other words, they don’t care what others say about them, or their unusual ways. For Holmes, it wasn’t really a gamble to trade Stafford, who wanted out and was dealt barely two weeks after Holmes arrived. The gamble was in the return, which included two first-round picks and a quarterback the Rams were ready to discard.
Holmes' and Campbell's gambles
Holmes went all-in on Jared Goff, insisting he wasn’t just a bridge to the next quarterback. Goff played in a Super Bowl with the Rams, where Holmes worked in the front office. Holmes was convinced Goff could be rebuilt, and eventually paired him with masterful offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
That was the start of Holmes’ gambles, and although not as renowned as Campbell’s calls — the Lions had the second-most fourth-down conversions (21-for-40) in the league — they were even more impactful. Rather than use a high pick to draft Goff’s replacement two years ago, Holmes traded up to grab speedy, injured receiver Jameson Williams. The NFL old guard guffawed (understandably, at first), then guffawed the following year when Holmes maneuvered for running back Jahmyr Gibbs and linebacker Jack Campbell in the first round, two positions supposedly unfit for such lofty status.
Conventional choices? Haha. Holmes’ other two high picks this year were tight end Sam LaPorta and defensive back Brian Branch, merely two of the best rookies in the league.
Holmes and Campbell are closely aligned with who they draft and who they sign, eschewing some stars that other teams crave. Campbell has talked about his disdain for having “turds” on his roster, another stance that humors some football people. He chews on the word “grit” like it’s his chaw, and then you see it in action and you get it.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was a fourth-round pick and now is an elite receiver, a bundle of talent and competitive feistiness. Same with David Montgomery, signed from the Bears, and Josh Reynolds, who rekindled his connection with Goff in L.A.
The Lions aren’t a star-studded team, partly by design. But as I’ve said before, they’re stud-studded. Holmes’ first two No. 1 picks, Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson, are trench warriors. Frank Ragnow, drafted by the previous regime, keeps gutting through an array of injuries to center a growling offensive line.
“Grit” isn’t a punchline to anyone here, although it was elsewhere for a while.
“It’s what we’re about, and it’s what we’ll always be about,” Campbell said. “If you don’t have that, and you don’t have intestinal fortitude or mental toughness, then you’re not going to be able to play here. Our guys believe that. The coaches believe it; the whole organization believes it. It’s the bedrock of what we’re about.”
When the Lions had a spate of injuries, fans and others screamed for a big move, like a trade for defensive star Chase Young, who ended up with the 49ers and has 2.5 sacks in nine games. Campbell and Holmes insisted they had enough on their team, and so far, they have. Of Holmes’ 23 draft picks in three seasons, 22 are still on the roster.
That doesn’t mean every move is correct. The Lions are 22-7 since midway through last season, way ahead of the most optimistic schedule. But there’s also risk in not leaping for star players, and as expectations rise, they’ll have to leap, occasionally.
The goal isn’t just to win the division, set stadium noise records and become America’s Darlings, although that’s all fun. It’s the Super Bowl, and there’s no ambiguity. This is a serious, purposeful endeavor, and the Lions are not accidental passengers.
“Dan’s the greatest leader I’ve been around, and he’s cultivated this culture where we have belief in each other pretty significantly,” Goff said. “Yeah, you think about the dark times early in 2021. A lot of people calling for his head, a lot of people in this (media) room calling for his head. And it's pretty good to be able to sit up here and play in the NFC Championship game.”
They’ve done it a different way and embraced the struggle, and it should keep evolving. You take enough smart gambles, and eventually, they’re not really gambles at all.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
NFC Championship
Lions at 49ers
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Kickoff: 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
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TV/radio: FOX/97.1
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Records: Detroit (12-5), San Francisco (12-5)
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Line: 49ers by 7
AFC Championship
Chiefs at Ravens
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Kickoff: 3 p.m., Sunday, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
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TV/radio: CBS
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Records: Kansas City (11-6), Baltimore (13-4)
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Line: Ravens by 3 1/2