Lions Linebacker Alex Anzalone Wrote A Piece For The Players Tribune Defending Dan Campbell's Decision Making In The NFC Championship
The Players Tribune is Twitter for smart athletes. Instead of screaming into the void 280 characters at a time, these guys actually write very thoughtful, insightful pieces for us to read. Alex Anzalone was a beast for the Lions this year, and as one of the team's leaders, I'm sure he's still reeling from that heartbreaking loss in the NFC championship game. Losing any championship game stings, but losing a game in which so many things went wrong in the second half will keep people up at night for a long time. I totally understand it. The debate regarding Dan Campbell's decision-making will rage on until the end of time. Alex Anzalone took the Players Tribune to defend his coach.
“We were all behind Dan on the 4th 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. 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.
It was the right decision — and I’m not talking about the right decision for analytics or talk radio or whatever. It was the right call for us, especially in that moment. When you’re in that situation, 20 games into an NFL season, it’s not like a video game. You’re not playing Madden. You had guys out there playing with bum ankles. Guys playing with MCL sprains. Guys taking nerve injections and toradol. Guys who could barely get out of bed that morning. It’s a battle of wills at that point in the season. You’re just running on pure belief and adrenaline. I feel like if you shy away from your identity in that moment, then you’re betraying the very thing that got you there.
Look, man, these guys would die for Dan Campbell. I have to respect it. If we're looking for a prime example of what culture looks like, look no further than this article. Anzalone had a great year. Not only did he have a great year, but the guy played through a shit ton of pain in the postseason. He's a true warrior, and I have no issue with him backing up his coach. I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that pretty much every guy in that locker room agrees with his sentiment, but I don't care. They should've kicked the fucking field goal.
I haven't written a whole lot about it. You live by the aggressiveness, and you die by the aggressiveness. When the Lions were up by 14, and they decided to go for it on a 4th and 2, that one didn't really bother me. I trust Jared Goff, but I was baffled by the play call. They were running it up the 49ers asses. They should've just handed it to David Montgomery and told him to go fuck somebody. Even with the call being what it was, Josh Reynolds still should've caught it. When they were down three in the fourth quarter, and they chose not to kick a field goal, I found that decision to be more baffling.
Again, I'm certain that the team was all about it, and I don't really care about analytics in that particular instance. The Lions were reeling, and I felt like they needed the points. Yes, there's a chance that they could've missed the field goal. There's also a chance that there could've been an offsides penalty that would've given the Lions a 1st down. Anytime you snap a football, you run the risk of something bad happening.
One thing is clear regarding where the Lions locker room stands next season. They are not going to shy away from the way that this year ended. Sure, they're going to turn a page and move forward, but they're going to embrace how shitty this 49ers loss was. In many ways, we won't find out how crushing this loss was until we see how next year's team performs. Expectations are going to be sky-high justifiably. If they live up to those expectations, we might be talking about the greatest Lions team ever. If they don't, we may discuss the most disappointing. Only time will tell.