Where can the Detroit Lions go after Dan Campbell? Sean Payton might be the answer for the Lions.

Dan Campbell by all measures has done everything the right way. He took over a busted down Detroit Lions team and breathed some confidence back into the franchise.

He said all the right things. Campbell got the entire city of Detroit to buy into “Grit”. The kneecaps comment became a thing of lore in Detroit. He even wore a helmet to help promote the Detroit Grand Prix! Campbell went as far as saying he wanted a live REAL lion as a pet.

Dan caught some national heat for the bizarre antics. But locally he was beloved. It was a Detroit vs Everybody moment. Its ok if the outsiders didn’t get it. Dan was OUR GUY! It appeared as the players bought in too.

To me, he did everything the right way.

But now the Detroit Lions sit 1-5 through 7 weeks. The shine has worn off. Sports talk has turned into attacking Campbell. Not only his in game decisions but how he is leading this 2022 Detroit Lions team.

From the teams performance it doesn’t appear that Motor City Dan has lost the locker room. To me, that is the most important thing. Once his rah rah message wears off and the x’s and o’s are not matching up, its going to get even worse. Former players are even starting to take aim at the Head Coach.

Where do the Detroit Lions go next?

After a guy does all the right things, where else can the Detroit Lions go next?

That’s the question I’ve been asking myself over and over. Dan checked all the boxes. He did what he was supposed to do. Everything you want in a head coach but the wins. Unfortunately, Wins are really the only thing that matter as a coach in the NFL.

The name that keeps getting brought up that would be a homerun for the Lions is Sean Payton.

The former New Orleans Saints Head Coach is available. Most people think he’s the heir apparent to Mike McCarthy in Dallas. Which would make sense he has ties to that team.

I, for one, would love the Payton hire here in Detroit. With the offensive tools already in place, he could take this team to the next level.

Sean Payton by the Numbers

According to nola.com:

His teams won eight more playoff games (9) than the 13 Saints coaches who preceded him. He has more career wins (161) than the combined total of the three Saints coaches who came before him (154) — a group that includes the second-winningest coach in Saints history (Jim Mora, 93), the third-winningest coach in Saints history (Jim Haslett, 46) and Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (15).
The Saints won 13 games four times under Payton. The franchise had never won 13 games in a single season prior to Payton’s arrival.
In 9 seasons Payton’s Saints teams finished with a top-five scoring offense.
In 10 seasons Payton’s Saints finished with a top-five total offense, including six seasons where New Orleans led the NFL.

Hopefully Dan Campbell can turn it around in the win department. Then we no longer have to consider looking for another Head Coach. But if that day happens, Sean Payton should be the next Lions head coach.