Detroit Lions approval poll: Coach Dan Campbell (September 2023)

Note: I’m aware it’s now October, but just pretend I posted this on Saturday.

It’s been a while since we checked in on the popularity of Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, but I think it’s fair to assume it has grown a bit in the last month.

The Lions are 3-1, they’ve won 11 of their last 14 games, they’re atop the NFC North for the first time since Week 2 of 2017, and they’ve won eight of their last nine divisional contests. In short, the Lions very clearly turned a corner at the midway point of last season, and it doesn’t appear they have any intention of slowing down in 2023.

That isn’t to say Campbell hasn’t faced some criticism along the way. There is a portion of the fanbase that is skeptical of his game management, whether it’s his aggressive nature on fourth downs or his end-of-half clock management, which some point to as a big reason they lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.

But, overall, Campbell has been widely praised for his motivational skills, culture building, and ability to recognize quality fits in both personnel and coaches. The staff he’s surrounded himself with has been unquestionably good, and in collaboration with general manager Brad Holmes, they’ve built a roster with a clear identity—something Detroit has lacked for decades.

Before we get into your approval vote for Campbell, let’s take a look at his approval rating since getting hired in early 2021.

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
January 2022: 98 percent approval
September 2022: 98 percent approval
October 2022: 80 percent approval
November 2022: 94 percent approval
January 2023: 100 percent approval

It’s going to be pretty hard to beat the last poll, which registered 5688 “yes” votes to just 22 “no” votes, but let’s see what happens.