G B U - Just 1 bounce short of the Super Bowl edition

[dsred]

I know Bob's your uncle.... but is Dan Campbell your son or something?

He argues just to argue. Stop feeding him.

[NewOrleansLion]

Uncategorized thoughts (which is a category, I guess):

- Overachieved in the first half tonight and under in the second. As a whole, the result was about right. This Lions team is about one score worse than the Niners in SF. That’s remarkable and far above my expectations for the year.

- Offense was streaky all year. 1st Packer game, 1st Bears game, Saints, Rams, Bucs (playoffs), tonight - unstoppable one half and meh at best in the other. Defense has something to do with that. Not enough turnovers and 3 and outs to give the offense shorter fields.

- Didn’t it seem like we abandoned the outside runs in the 2nd half?

- This is the first Lions coaching staff I can remember that gets players to improve. They’re set up for sustained success. No, there’s no guarantee they can get back to the NFC Championship again, as there’s no guarantee I’ll get up in the morning. How is something not being guaranteed noteworthy?

- I had no problem with Campbell’s decisions, but he’ll get better, too. He seems like a guy who will review this season and make a plan for the things he need to improve upon next year.

- I love that they have Hooker in the wings, even he ends up not being the guy. Nice to see they’re thinking longer term.

[froot loops]

He argues just to argue. Stop feeding him.

You just like to attack opposing arguments like dwt did, with attacks. I like aggressive coaches, I think Dan Campbell got them here because he was aggressive. The playoff wins were based on aggressiveness on 4th down. Against the Rams they gained 4 points in a game they won.

Your argument against it is if it works you stay silent, if it doesn't work you are yelling from the the treetops.

[dpatnod]

Badgley got a 54 yard field goal in that game. Guess Dan doesn't have to go for it every time after all.

[froot loops]

Uncategorized thoughts (which is a category, I guess):

- Overachieved in the first half tonight and under in the second. As a whole, the result was about right. This Lions team is about one score worse than the Niners in SF. That’s remarkable and far above my expectations for the year.

- Offense was streaky all year. 1st Packer game, 1st Bears game, Saints, Rams, Bucs (playoffs), tonight - unstoppable one half and meh at best in the other. Defense has something to do with that. Not enough turnovers and 3 and outs to give the offense shorter fields.

- Didn’t it seem like we abandoned the outside runs in the 2nd half?

- This is the first Lions coaching staff I can remember that gets players to improve. They’re set up for sustained success. No, there’s no guarantee they can get back to the NFC Championship again, as there’s no guarantee I’ll get up in the morning. How is something not being guaranteed noteworthy?

- I had no problem with Campbell’s decisions, but he’ll get better, too. He seems like a guy who will review this season and make a plan for the things he need to improve upon next year.

- I love that they have Hooker in the wings, even he ends up not being the guy. Nice to see they’re thinking longer term.

It did seem like they abandoned the outside runs in the second half, but it's hard to tell because they didn't the ball that much.

[froot loops]

Badgley got a 54 yard field goal in that game. Guess Dan doesn't have to go for it every time after all.

You're right on the 54 yard field goal, but I think it was 4th and 10. And he didn't go for it at the end of the first half today

[dpatnod]

I don't want Jim Caldwell. I want a more savvy Dan Campbell. Can we agree that he could have done better?

[chemiclord]

After a three hour drive in my own head, I'm kinda of the feeling that even if Campbell had made the safe play and taken the field goal both times... even if Badgley made both (which was by no means a guarantee)... I guess I just don't think it would have mattered? It's easy to say "but that was 6 points in a three point game," but I think it ignores one big problem, one that had haunted the Lions all year.

San Fran had "solved" the Lions defense, and the Lions simply didn't have the horses on defense to shut down an opponent once the initial riddle Aaron Glenn threw at the Niners was figured out. There's only so much you can scheme a defense into stops, at some point you run out of tricks in the bag, and the defense had reached that point. The 49ers were going to be able to score however many points they needed to win that game, and there wasn't going to be much the Lions could do to stop them. The only chance the Lions really had was to counter TDs with TDs.

Maybe Campbell realized that, or maybe he just got too deep into his emotions and stubbornness, I don't know. But I think it was probably their only chance to win.

[dpatnod]

Agree to disagree. I do not subscribe.

[froot loops]

I don't have a problem with them going for it. Reynolds dropped an easy ball. I think saying we need a more saavy Dan Campbell is a euphemism for make sure every time he goes for it on 4th down is he makes it. I don't think the two missed conversions today were any harder than the two TDs on 4th down in the last two playoff games.

I have a bigger problem with the 3rd down run. If your running it has to be on 4th down.

[Iron Lion]

We might make it this far on a yearly basis. Or this regime might never make it this far again.

[dpatnod]

As much as you want to say otherwise, I am telling you what I thought at the time when they went for it. Both times when they made it and didn't earlier in the season. But I disagreed with the calls in this game. I did not come to that opinion AFTER seeing how it played out. I don't know why that is so unbelievable. I don't think Dan Campbell is in-fallable. Sorry. I don't hate him. Love the guy. But he is not perfect. And I hope he learns from this.

[froot loops]

After a three hour drive in my own head, I'm kinda of the feeling that even if Campbell had made the safe play and taken the field goal both times... even if Badgley made both (which was by no means a guarantee)... I guess I just don't think it would have mattered? It's easy to say "but that was 6 points in a three point game," but I think it ignores one big problem, one that had haunted the Lions all year.

San Fran had "solved" the Lions defense, and the Lions simply didn't have the horses on defense to shut down an opponent once the initial riddle Aaron Glenn threw at the Niners was figured out. There's only so much you can scheme a defense into stops, at some point you run out of tricks in the bag, and the defense had reached that point. The 49ers were going to be able to score however many points they needed to win that game, and there wasn't going to be much the Lions could do to stop them. The only chance the Lions really had was to counter TDs with TDs.

Maybe Campbell realized that, or maybe he just got too deep into his emotions and stubbornness, I don't know. But I think it was probably their only chance to win.

This might be right. There wasn't signs yet that they had solved the defense on the first 4th and 2. But I'm sure Campbell had in the back of his mind that San Fran was going to have a run. This was similar to the Chargers game. We have seen that 4th and 2 in the maroon zone all year and the Lions had the Niner defense solved. Nothing the Niners did besides the two Bosa sacks indicated they had any answers other than having Lion mistakes help them out. Which they did.

[froot loops]

As much as you want to say otherwise, I am telling you what I thought at the time when they went for it. Both times when they made it and didn't earlier in the season. But I disagreed with the calls in this game. I did not come to that opinion AFTER seeing how it played out. I don't know why that is so unbelievable. I don't think Dan Campbell is in-fallable. Sorry. I don't hate him. Love the guy. But he is not perfect. And I hope he learns from this.

So you are saying Dan Campbell is not infallible but you are in these decisions?

[dpatnod]

No man. Not saying that at all.

There were times this year where I was like, "I don't know man - I wouldn't do that..." And Dan pulled it out. Good on him. I don't mind being aggressive so long as it is also strategic and he picks his spots, not just go all Leroy Jenkins.

But I didn't make a thread about it at the time - so I guess I can't have an opinion going forward.