Detroit Lions approval poll: Dan Campbell (January 2022)

The Detroit Lions hired Dan Campbell as their head coach on January 20, 2021—a year and a single day from the date of this publishing. There was a healthy amount of skepticism surrounding the hire at the time. Campbell was a coach without experience as a coordinator, play caller, and the only direct experience he had as a head coach was a half-season with the Miami Dolphins as an interim coach. As a result, Campbell had just a 78 percent approval rating upon hiring, a somewhat low number given this fanbase’s love of new hires.

But pretty much since Campbell’s press conference, he’s been winning over the city of Detroit. He followed the press conference by hiring a well-regarded crew of coordinators and positional coaches, many of whom were former players, just like Campbell.

That isn’t to say Campbell’s first year wasn’t without its issues. It had a ton of them, actually. The team dropped to 0-10-1 on Thanksgiving, and Detroit dropped several late-game opportunities to win, some of which could be blamed on poor coaching decisions. However, despite being winless, Campbell still maintained an 88 percent approval rating deep into November.

What many Detroit Lions fans saw through those first three games—a hard-nosed team that was playing well above their talent level—finally started paying off in December. Despite the injuries continuing to grow and COVID hitting the Lions particularly hard, they went 3-3 down the stretch, and 3-1 with their starting quarterback. There were also blowouts at the hands of two playoff-less teams, but the improvement in play was hard to ignore.

Here’s a look at Campbell’s approval rating throughout his first year.

January 2021: 78 percent approval
July 2021: 97 percent approval
October 2021: 95 percent approval
November 2021: 88 percent approval
December 2021: 98 percent approval

It’s time to check in one more time before the Lions get into the thick of the offseason. There’s a lot to take in with Campbell’s first season. There’s the culture setting, the improvement in Detroit’s young players, some late-game mistakes, his controversial decision to take over play-calling from Anthony Lynn that appears to have paid off, and maybe even Campbell’s emotional press conferences play into your decision.

Either way, it’s time to sound off. Do you approve of the job Dan Campbell has done after a year on the job?