Looks like Dan Campbell might be the front runner

[Lionsfanfromsac]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/n...ch/4177907001/


Get ready to pull out your old Dan Campbell No. 89 jersey from the bottom of the dirty laundry pile, Detroit Lions fans.

The former Lions tight end, who was on the infamous 0-16 team in 2007, has reportedly emerged Friday as the favorite to be named the Lions' next head coach.

Campbell is the Saints' assistant head coach and tight ends coach, and with New Orleans still in the postseason, cannot meet in-person with the Lions until after his season is over, so any final official announcements are on hold. The Saints host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in an NFC Divisional playoff game.

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New Orleans Saints assistant head coach and tight end coach Dan Campbell during pregame of a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Jan. 13, 2019.
One day after the Lions hired Brad Holmes as their new general manager, Campbell seemingly has climbed to the top of the Lions' head coach list. They have met virtually with six candidates and were slated to talk with a seventh Friday in Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, but the two sides agreed to cancel. "He wasn't going to be their next head coach anyway so they punted on it," Mike Garafolo of NFL Network wrote on Twitter.


Of the six candidates the Lions have met with, four remain on the board: Campbell, Darrell Bevell, Marvin Lewis and Eric Bieniemy. Robert Saleh went to the New York Jets, and Arthur Smith canceled his in-person interview with the Lions and reportedly has an offer from the Atlanta Falcons.

Along with the Lions, the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Falcons have yet to name a head coach. The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer.

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Campbell has prior head coaching experience, serving as Miami Dolphins interim coach in 2015, going 5-7 after replacing the fired Joe Philbin.

He was hired by the Saints after the season and is in his fifth year as coach Sean Payton's lieutenant.

Detroit Lions tight end Dan Campbell in 2006.
Campbell played 19 games with the Lions in 2006-08, including all 16 games in 2006, when he had 21 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns.

A third-round pick out of Texas A&M by the New York Giants, his NFL career spanned 1999-2008, playing 114 games for the Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Lions.

Here is a sampling of the reports and reaction:

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[Lionsfanfromsac]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/l...ch-per-report/

A day after local candidate Robert Saleh was hired as the New York Jets' head coach, the Detroit Lions have turned their attention to a new favorite for their own vacancy. According to NFL Network, New Orleans Saints assistant Dan Campbell has "taken a commanding lead" in the running for the Lions' head coaching job. The two sides can't schedule an in-person interview until after the Saints' season is over, but Campbell is reportedly the clear favorite for the opening, with the Lions even cancelling a scheduled meeting with Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles because of Campbell's emergence.

The Saints play the Buccaneers on Sunday night in the divisional round of the playoffs, so it could be a while until any hiring decisions are made official. Regardless, Campbell's sudden ascent to the top of Detroit's wish list is notable, especially considering the Saints' assistant head coach and tight ends coach has reportedly been more of an under-the-radar candidate this hiring cycle.

The 44-year-old Campbell has local ties, spending the final three seasons of his NFL career with the Lions. A third-round draft pick out of Texas A&M in 1999, he played 11 seasons in the league, posting a career-high 308 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his Detroit debut and winning a Super Bowl with the Saints in 2009. He made his coaching debut a year after retiring, interning with the Miami Dolphins and then taking over as the team's tight ends coach the following year. After four years in that post, he spent most of 2015 as the Dolphins' interim head coach, overseeing a 5-7 finish after a 1-3 start under Joe Philbin.


Since then, Campbell has served as the Saints' TEs coach and assistant head coach under Sean Payton. During his time in New Orleans, the Saints have made four playoff appearances in five years, including one NFC Championship bid.

[Lionsfanfromsac]

https://www.mlive.com/lions/2021/01/...-canceled.html

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have picked their general manager. Now, it seems, they just might be closing in on their head coach.

Dan Campbell has emerged as the favorite to replace Matt Patricia in Detroit, according to NFL Network. Campbell is the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints, and cannot be officially hired -- or even interviewed in-person -- until the Saints’ season is over. They host the Tampa Bay Buccanneers in a divisional playoff game on Sunday at the Superdome.


The Lions said they wanted to meet with their next head coach and general manager in person before making those hires, so Campbell -- who interviewed virtually earlier this week -- is very far from an official thing. But it seems he has emerged as the leader, and Detroit could pull the trigger when he comes to town once New Orleans’ season is over.

Campbell is a former NFL tight end who was taken by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1999 draft. He later spent three seasons with the Lions, catching 23 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns from 2006-08, and also spent time with the Cowboys and Saints during an 11-year playing career. New Orleans won Super Bowl XLIV in his final season in 2009, but Campbell did not play that year after tearing his MCL in training camp.

“I was fortunate enough to have a pretty long career, so I’ve tried everything,” Campbell once told nola.com. “And I’ve been coached a lot of different ways and techniques. The beauty of that is you take the best of that with you.

“I feel like now that I’ve gotten to this point, I’ve got a lot of good things in the toolbox to give these guys that either I’ve tried or I’ve seen good players do,” Campbell added. “That goes from (Jeremy) Shockey to (Jason) Witten ... and it’s all kind of talent level, what a guy can do or can’t do with his ability. But you give them enough tools no matter what that they can perform. And I think that’s where it helps because ... you know exactly what they’re thinking before they even say it because you’ve been there before.”

Campbell began his coaching career as an intern with Miami in 2010, before quickly moving up to tight ends coach in 2011. He was so highly regarded that he was appointed interim head coach when Joe Philbin was fired after a disastrous 1-3 start in 2015, even though Campbell was still just 39 years old. He was the youngest head coach in the league at that time, yet led Miami to a respectable 5-7 finish and was praised for his steadying hand.


Once Adam Gase was hired the following offseason, Campbell left to reunite with Sean Payton in New Orleans. Campbell played his first three seasons for the Giants, when Payton was that team’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, then they both left for a three-year run in Dallas from 2003-05. Campbell wrapped up his career with Payton in New Orleans in 2009, but did not play that year because of injuries.

Campbell is close to Payton, and served as his assistant head coach the last five years while also working with the tight ends.

“You don’t know exactly what you’re looking for (as a head coach) until you get thrust into that role like I did at Miami,” Campbell once told ESPN. “Well, once that doesn’t work out, I have a chance to come and learn under Sean, and now you know what you’re looking for, and now you know the questions to ask. So to be able to watch and learn under Sean and see how he deals with situations, see how he deals with management of a game, how he deals with personnel, how he deals with scheme. Just dealing with people, scheduling -- everything.

“You talk about a wealth of knowledge now. So it’s been extremely helpful.”

The Lions seemed keen on poaching new leadership from the Saints, also interviewing executives Terry Fontenot and Jeff Ireland for their vacant GM job. They opted for Brad Holmes instead, the longtime college scouting director for the Los Angeles Rams.


Holmes is a first-time general manager, just like all the GMs before him in Detroit, and the Lions were interested in pairing him with some experience. Former head coaches like Marvin Lewis and Darrell Bevell also interviewed for the position, and Todd Bowles was expected to be in town for an in-person interview on Friday. That is now reportedly off, along with a second interview that had been scheduled with Arthur Smith.

It seems Campbell could be the Lions’ guy, a high-character coach who is a locker-room favorite in New Orleans. The Lions were looking for those attributes in their hire after enduring 43 tough games under the fiery Matt Patricia, and Campbell’s experience within the organization -- including during that winless season in 2008 -- gives him a unique perspective into the dysfunction he will now be charged with cleaning up.

“I like the fact that he has ties to the organization,” former Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Podcast. “I think that’s important for a place like Detroit. Like, they got to get somebody in there who understands the organization, understands where the organization has been and the struggles, why some of those struggles happened, but also understands the city as well. I love the fact that he’s been a part of multiple organizations, both as a player and a coach. You learn so much being around certain locker rooms -- ‘They do this really well,’ or, ‘This locker room stinks because of this,’ or, ‘This head coach is really good because he did it this way,’ or whatnot. You know, the ability to learn so many different people skills and teaching skills and communication skills in multiple places is great (to learn from).


“Probably is as widely-respected as a dude in the NFL -- as a guy that we have in the NFL coaching ranks. Yeah, just really well-respected. And I just think he’s going to be able to put together a great staff. Something that I’ve really leaned into over the past couple months is we get so enamored with head coaching hires, as we should -- they’re important -- but the staff that the guy brings with him is as important, if not more. I think his connections and the people he knows within the league is going to give him a really good opportunity to put together a big-time staff.”

On this note: Todd Bowles visit has been canceled

[garnotm]

Honestly with what is out there and the fact the Saleh interview seemed to flop (at least that is what the rumors are saying) than he is probably just as good of an option as anyone out there. It is not going to be the amazing hire but it could be the shocking result hire.

[tigers.6]

Has he interviewed anywhere else....?

[garnotm]

Has he interviewed anywhere else....?

not that I have seen

[tigers.6]

not that I have seen

oh, okay. So 2 of our top candidates for the head coaching gig, him and Bevell, haven't interviewed with any other organization. Sounds like we're looking at the right guys hahah

[garnotm]

oh, okay. So 2 of our top candidates for the head coaching gig, him and Bevell, haven't interviewed with any other organization. Sounds like we're looking at the right guys hahah

I think they cast wider nets this time around and I really think organizations like the Jets just focused on the guys they knew they wanted where the Lions were going in with a few favorites but Campbell wowed them much like Holmes. Now if this all blows up then it was a bad decision but if it works out they are the new model of the league. Sadly there is no middle ground in the NFL you either did or you suck.

[lizardking13]

at least we won't be hiring tod bowles...

[Lionsfanfromsac]

I’m kind of glad we’re not getting the Tod. I didn’t see a whole lot that was consistently impressive.

[tigers.6]

I think they cast wider nets this time around and I really think organizations like the Jets just focused on the guys they knew they wanted where the Lions were going in with a few favorites but Campbell wowed them much like Holmes. Now if this all blows up then it was a bad decision but if it works out they are the new model of the league. Sadly there is no middle ground in the NFL you either did or you suck.

For sure, they definitely cast a wide net in both searches. Was that them being thorough, or them not knowing what they want in their organization/candidate.

I don't know. Not trying to **** on their decision as we literally have no idea how they are going to pan out but I'm just skeptical. I think the most telling thing about what we can expect moving forward is what they do with Stafford. You bring in 2 fresh young guys and if they decide to keep moving with Stafford, that tells me they were looking for yes men. I'm sure a few of the candidates came in and were ready to move on with Stafford. If that was their plan, I bet the Lions just moved on from that candidate.

However, if they let these guys, more importantly Holmes, make a decision like that within the first few months of getting the job then I will believe in them and their decision to hire Campbell.

[garnotm]

Its going to be hard to move stafford...we are tight against the cap as it is.

"If Stafford is off the roster before March 17, he will leave $19 million in dead money. He has $13 million in prorated cap charges in 2021, $3 million in 2022, and $3 million in 2023. All of that will accelerate onto the Lions' 2021 salary cap if he is off the roster. However, the remaining $20 million will be gone."

that is the break down of his cap hit, I don't see how you eat that this year. This is the link to his cap hits the tldr line is the last sentence.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sp...rd/4786833002/

Distilled down, here's what it means: If the Lions were to trade Stafford prior to exercising the option bonus, the dead money the team would be responsible for in 2020 would be $24.8 million, not $32 million.

Either way you look at it its not as simple to "Trade Stafford"

[lizardking13]

Its going to be hard to move stafford...we are tight against the cap as it is.

"If Stafford is off the roster before March 17, he will leave $19 million in dead money. He has $13 million in prorated cap charges in 2021, $3 million in 2022, and $3 million in 2023. All of that will accelerate onto the Lions' 2021 salary cap if he is off the roster. However, the remaining $20 million will be gone."

that is the break down of his cap hit, I don't see how you eat that this year. This is the link to his cap hits the tldr line is the last sentence.

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sp...rd/4786833002/

Distilled down, here's what it means: If the Lions were to trade Stafford prior to exercising the option bonus, the dead money the team would be responsible for in 2020 would be $24.8 million, not $32 million.

Either way you look at it its not as simple to "Trade Stafford"

Agreed, I don't think we trade him this coming year. If we trade him, it'll be in 2022.

[tigers.6]

Agreed, I don't think we trade him this coming year. If we trade him, it'll be in 2022.

I understand the cap ramifications and the impact the amount of dead money that will be left if he is trade. However, I honestly don't care. This team is nowhere close to being competitive and I'd take the cap ramifications to ensure we get another top 5 draft pick. I don't want them making another stupid signing like Flowers or Vaitai.

Also, I'd rather trade him now because we have an idea of his value. You wait a year and more than likely his value drops even more. So, if I'm another team looking to add a veteran QB because I believe that's our missing piece, I'm making a call to the Lions. The receiving team would essentially be on the hook for a 2 year / $43 million contract. That would rank him as the 20th highest-paid QB. This team neeeeeds to take on the full rebuild mentality.

[LionsFan..LOL]

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/n...ch/4182680001/

Something the Fords will have to evaluate before hiring him, if they do in fact hire him.

Edit: The author of said article apparently liked to drop the f bomb so there is that irony to writing this article.