After the Detroit Lions were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers, Dan Campbell told his team that it could be their only chance to play in a Super Bowl. While Campbell later clarified that he does not believe this, players on the roster questioned if their only chance to win a Lombardi Trophy had already passed.
Aidan Hutchinson, speaking on Pro Football Talk on radio row, stated that Detroit’s head coach changed his tone swiftly during departure interviews.
The former No. 2 overall choice echoed Campbell’s fervor and stated that the squad will go to any length to reach the Super Bowl in 2024.
“I think he, as we all were, was emotional after that game,” Hutchinson said. “I’m not sure if he really meant those things, because in our exit meetings the next day, he says, ‘We’re going to the Super Bowl next year!'” Like, ‘Screw it!’ Like, ‘I don’t mind what it takes!’ You hear that after the game and become a little discouraged because you’re thinking, ‘Do you think that was our only shot?’ I believe it was merely an emotional response. I understand because you have this 22-week season and you’re so close but just miss out.
“You’re saying, ‘God, it took a lot to get here,’ but I understand. The next day, he kind of came in and gave us this lecture, and we were like, we’re all ready to play again right now,” Hutchinson said. “I felt like on that Monday, and I believe it too, because all the players that we have that are talented on our team are so young and we have so many more years all playing together.”
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Former Super Bowl champion claims NFL Honors’missed almost every award’
The 13th annual NFL Honors took place on Thursday night in Las Vegas, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.
Several yearly honors were presented to some of the league’s greatest players. However, former Super Bowl LV champion A.Q. Shipley was unimpressed with the majority of the winners.
“The NFL, I think, missed on almost every award,” Shipley remarked on the radio show “The Pat McAfee Show.” “I mean, how does M.C.D.C [Motor City Dan Campbell] not get the [Coach of the Year] award? … Detroit nearly had to relocate to another nation for several years.”
Shipley has a point. Although Kevin Stefanski, who got the honor for bringing the Browns to the playoffs with four different starting quarterbacks, deserved to be recognized, Campbell has created something special with the Lions.
Detroit had a 3-13-1 record two years ago. In 2023, the club finished 12-5, won the NFC North, and fell just three points shy of the NFC Championship Game.
Shipley does not believe Coach of the Year was the only honor the NFL botched.
“The other award was Defensive Player of the Year,” Shipley explained. “Assistant coach of the year.” Mike Macdonald was really good, right?”
The Defensive Player of the Year award may be the most contentious of them all. Browns DE Myles Garrett received the honor, although he is a Steelers linebacker. In 2023, T.J. Watt outperformed him in tackles (68), sacks (19), passes defensed (eight), interceptions (one), fumble recoveries (three), and touchdowns.
Watt had two more sacks in the third quarter of Week 18 than Garrett did in the final seven weeks of the season.
Finally, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was chosen Assistant Coach of the Year, but Shipley believes Macdonald made a better argument.
Both men led two of the NFL’s top defenses. The Browns allowed the fewest total yards per game (270.2) and the Ravens allowed the fewest points per game (16.5).
The difference is that Baltimore was the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a 13-4 record and a playoff win, and Cleveland went 11-6 and was eliminated in the postseason. As a result, Macdonald has been named the next head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
It just so happened that Cleveland received all three trophies, which doesn’t mean Stefanski, Garrett, or Schwartz weren’t deserving. However, Shipley makes a compelling case that the NFL mishandled several of the yearly awards, and many others would likely agree.
