Lions coach Dan Campbell took over offensive play-calling midway through the season when he reorganized his staff midway through the season and it’s had positive results.
Offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn started the season in that role, but is now more of a run-game coordinator while tight ends coach Ben Johnson became the team’s de facto pass-game coordinator. Campbell communicates the plays to the quarterback.
The Lions are 2-5-1 since Campbell implemented the changes. But he’s undecided on how he’d like to handle things in 2022.
“I know that I’m getting a lot more comfortable and I feel like this is something that I do believe I can do and be good at,” Campbell said Wednesday, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But I’m not ready to commit to what I’m doing next year yet. I got to sit down and process this at the right time.”
Campbell had not called plays before taking over the duties this year. But he was around one of the best in the game at it for years in working under Saints head coach Sean Payton.
The first-year head coach admitted it was “a lot” when he first began doing it, and there was a transitional period. But now things have slowed down.
“[I]t’s been a process, but I can tell you this, I’m miles ahead of where I was three or four weeks ago. I feel that way,” Campbell said. “I’m so much more comfortable now. I do, I’m starting to figure it out. It doesn’t mean I’m perfect by any means, but I do feel a lot more comfortable.”