Alex Anzalone Offers Passionate Defense Of Lions Coach Dan Campbell's Fourth Down Decisions

Published|Updated

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell took a beating from many media members following several decisions to go for fourth-down conversions during the NFC Championship. But, he took no beating from his own players. In fact, Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone said the players were 100 percent behind Campbell.

In an article penned in the "Players' Tribune," Anzalone explained that he and all of his teammates fully support Campbell's decisions and said they wouldn't change anything. 

"We were all behind Dan on the fourth down call. Let’s get that out of the way first. If you could rewind time, we’d all do it again. A hundred times out of a hundred. The offense. The defense. Everybody," Anzalone wrote. "If you have been following this team’s journey for the last three years, then you know how we play football. You know the mentality that got us here." 

Lions coach Dan Campbell talks to linebacker Alex Anzalone during warmups at Ford Field.

(Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK)

To refresh your memory, the Lions had a 14-point lead and faced a fourth-and-short midway through the third quarter. Rather than attempt a field goal, Campbell kept his offense on the field. They failed to convert and the 49ers scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession.

Later, while trailing by three points, Campbell faced a similar decision midway through the fourth quarter, made the same call, and got the same result. 

Anzalone pointed out that the mentality of being aggressive and pressuring the opponent is part of the reason Detroit reached the NFC Championship in the first place.

"On fourth down, in that situation, we’re always going for the kill. That mentality took us from 0–10–1 to the NFC Championship game in just a few seasons. Honestly, if anything, when we decided to kick the field goal in the first half, I was more surprised then," he wrote. 

The Lions had the ball at the end of the second quarter inside the 49ers 5-yard line with one play left before halftime. Rather than go for a touchdown and risk scoring zero points, Campbell elected to kick a field goal. 

According to Anzalone, the team thought for sure they would go for the touchdown there, like they had all season. 

It's hard to argue with anything Anzalone had to say, so I won't. I didn't hate the decisions to go for those fourth downs as much as I hated the decision to run on third-and-goal at the end of the game.

He's right that the decisions had nothing to do with analytics and everything to do with the team. The Detroit Lions built an identity and they planned to continue to embody that identity, win or lose. 

So, for those who might think Campbell is going to change heading into next season, I'd say that's pretty unlikely. 

And, you know what? Good for him. 

Tags
Written by

Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.