Tom Brady shared his thoughts on the Detroit Lions’ implosion from Sunday, with Dan Campbell’s coaching largely held responsible for the loss.
Dan Campbell deliberately went aggressive with his decisions early on, trying to add to a Lions lead — only to fail and keep the door open for San Francisco to bounce back.
Detroit took a 24-7 lead into halftime but surrendered their 17-point advantage by giving up 27 unanswered points.
The coach’s gutsy (or ‘senseless’) decisions crumbled under the primetime spotlight against San Francisco, which fostered criticism, especially from TB12.
Tom Brady Not Clear On Dan Campbell’s Tenacious Fourth-Down Plays
Brady questioned Campbell’s alpha-male coaching decisions that contributed to the Niners’ 34-31 win.
The seven-time Super Bowl champ reminded Jim Gray on the “Let’s Go!” podcast that Campbell’s coaching on Sunday remained consistent with the Lions’ risks all season.
Gray also questioned Campbell’s coaching.
“I think [Dan Campbell] really didn’t do very well at all with situational football,” Gray said, “not kicking two field goals. One to tie the game, one to go ahead by 17 points. And then at the end burning the time out. … He’s the guy responsible, in my opinion, for putting them in peril.”
Dan Campbell did take the blame on the postgame podium after the loss. Brady — a future star in the FOX booth, alongside Kevin Burkhardt — thinks Campbell might’ve been too loyal to Detroit’s aggressive style.
“Well, the whole team’s responsible,” Brady shared. “I’ll say it’s ultimately a team sport and the coach makes these decisions and you gotta go execute. My opinion differed on all those plays, too.”
Next Time, Take The Points
Brady added, “I definitely thought the handoff there late in the game, that was the one that I didn’t understand because unless you saw some incredible look to walk the ball in, you just can’t take the chance that you’re gonna be stopped short and keep the clock running, ’cause you just can’t get the ball back. That was the one that I just said, I don’t know what they’re doing.
“I thought it was just a flat out error. And then the other ones are judgment calls. They’ve been aggressive all year. Obviously when you’re aggressive and it doesn’t work, it comes back to bite you and it came back to bite ’em yesterday. Again, I would’ve taken the points.”
The Lions went for it on 34 percent of all fourth-down plays this season, the highest percentage by a team since 2000, OutKick’s Chad Withrow noted on Monday’s episode of ‘Hot Mic.’
TB12 added, “I’ve been in those situations. I look at them and say, ‘Okay, this is the opportunity to continue to keep the pressure on the 49ers to make great plays’ and you’re in a great position.”
One decision to opt for a fourth-down play rather than a 48-yard field goal by Michael Badgley kept Detroit at a double-digit deficit. And their fate was soon sealed.
Detroit’s hopes ran high for the Lions to complete their improbable 12-5 season, and it added to the devastating heartbreak of the Lions’ crash.
Even Campbell had a feeling on Sunday that Detroit may, naturally, not reach this moment again for the foreseeable future.
Follow Alejandro Avila on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela
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