Two years ago, Dan Campbell (and Brad Holmes) took over a team that had been burned to the ground by Matt Patricia (and Bob Quinn). Now the Lions are favored to win their division for the first time in 30 years.
Naturally, Campbell's stock is rising as an NFL head coach. Where does he rank among his peers? Ahead of guys like Sean McDermott of the Bills, Mike McCarthy of the Cowboys and Brandon Staley of the Chargers, according to Audacy Sports' NFL insider Ross Tucker. And one spot ahead of Matt LaFleur of the Packers.
Entering the 2023 season, Tucker has Campbell ranked No. 16: "This might be a little too high for what he's accomplished thus far, but the buzz around this Detroit Lions team is real, and so was that win in Lambeau in Week 18 to kick the Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs."
Valenti says No. 16 is about where Campbell belongs:
"I'm good with it. I think Dan Campbell gets more hype than he probably deserves, but I'm fine with him being middle of the road. Now he's gotta prove it. We may think certain things about him, but he has to now back up those thoughts. And if they have the year I think they're going to have, he'll be one of the top seven or eight coaches in football."
Directly ahead of Campbell, Tucker has Kevin O'Connell of the Vikings, Mike McDaniel of the Dolphins and Mike Vrabel of the Titans. His top five goes Nick Sirianni, Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin, Bill Belichick and Andy Reid at No. 1. For Valenti, Belichick might be a tad high at No. 2:
"Here's the problem: Bill Belichick thought it was a good idea when Josh McDaniels left town to have Matt Patricia run his offense as a defensive guy. Think about that. I think that alone takes you from being 2 to 3, but he's still one of the five best in the game. This will be a big year for him. If they're underwhelming and middling again, it would be fair to say he's probably toast. They have to make a move forward, and nothing they've done has made a lot of sense."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
