Rodney Peete feels that the Detroit Lions have a potential problem on their hands. The Lions are annual playoff contenders. They've advanced to the postseason in back-to-back years, going to the NFC Championship Game during the 2023 season and clinching the NFC's No. 1 seed during the 2024 campaign.
However, they've struggled to live up to the hype in the playoffs, blowing a major lead in the NFC Championship Game and losing their first playoff game during the 2024 season.
The Lions are currently 7-4 and battling for a playoff spot. However, they nearly lost against the New York Giants in Week 12 after trailing in the fourth quarter, and lost against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 after failing all five of their fourth-down conversions.
Peete says head coach Dan Campbell, as the team's offensive play-caller, could be a potential downfall for them moving forward.
“What I don't like about them right now, which concerns me, is that Dan Campbell took over the play-calling duties,” says Peete in a one-on-one interview. “They're coming off a year with Ben Johnson, who was the guy, and they were good last year. But now John Morton (Lions offensive coordinator) is now not calling the plays. Now it's Dan Campbell calling the plays. It's just a disruption.”
Morton is in his first year as the Lions' offensive coordinator and just his second overall as an OC. He previously served as the New York Jets' offensive coordinator in 2017, when they ranked 24th in points scored.
Campbell took over offensive play-calling just prior to their Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders, and they exploded for 44 points. However, they followed that up with a nine-point dud against the Eagles before once again exploding for 34 points in a win over the Giants.
It is worth noting that the Commanders rank 28th in defense, and the Giants rank 30th.
Peete warns that Campbell may receive too much of the credit when they play well and too much of the criticism when they don't play well, which could lead to headlines and distractions by the media.
“That's going to be a back-and-forth all season long,” says Peete. “I think it's something that you got to keep an eye on, because it may trip them up. I think they should have just allowed John Morton to still call the plays, because this is going to take center stage every game going forward. If they play bad, it's going to be Dan Campbell called the play. If they play good, he's probably going to get too much praise of calling the plays. I think they still have the challenge to make the playoffs and get there, but they've got to get that really sorted out about the play-calling duties, because that's too much of the front headlines right now.”
The Lions are currently 7-4 and slightly out of the playoff picture, with them being a half-game behind the San Francisco 49ers. Peete is right — if the Lions play well, Campbell will get the credit. However, if they falter — as they have over the past couple of seasons — the head coach will get all of the blame.
Peete began his 16-year NFL career as a quarterback with the Lions, with Detroit taking him in the 1989 NFL Draft after Peete starred as an All-American passer and Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year with the USC Trojans. He spent five years with the Lions (1989-1993), starting all 47 games he appeared in.
He teamed up with Barry Sanders and was a member of the 1991 Lions team that advanced to the NFC Championship Game — which would be their last playoff win for 32 years.
