When the Lions hired General Manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell in 2021, everyone knew it was a rebuilding effort. But the rebuilding is taking longer than it should.
Campbell himself acknowledged that today, and said he talked to owner Sheila Ford Hamp during the bye week about why the Lions are 1-4 and what they need to improve.
“I told her everything that I saw, things that we needed to be better at, offensive, defensive, special teams, myself,” Campbell said. “Everything. Everything that I’ve looked at our team and felt like we needed to be better at, I shared all those thoughts with her, and where we were going moving forward.”
Campbell gave no indication that Ford Hamp has told him he is on the hot seat.
“I would say that she understands, she’s very supportive, but she’s frustrated. And she should be. We all believe we should be better than we’re at. But I do know that she’s all in. I know that she believes in what Brad and I are doing,” Campbell said.
The Lions fired head coach Jim Caldwell for going 36-28 in four seasons. Since then they’re 18-50-2 and have finished last in the NFC North every year. Campbell may not be on the hot seat right now, but if he doesn’t turn things around soon, it may be hard for Lions ownership to justify staying the course.