Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Analyst explains how Dan Campbell has changed Lions narrative

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jun 27, 2023 7:17 PM ET

NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson is a fan of the direction head coach Dan Campbell is taking the Detroit Lions. So much so, in fact, that Robinson picked the Lions to win the NFC North this season.

But Robinson isn’t just impressed with Detroit’s nine-win season last year or its impressive 20-16 triumph over the Green Bay Packers in the regular season finale that kept its division rival out of the postseason.

No, Robinson is captivated by how quickly Campbell changed the team’s narrative from loveable losers to dark horse contenders.

“He doesn’t feel like management,” Robinson recently said, via SI.com. “He doesn’t feel like he’s above you. He feels like he’s one of your teammates. And, I think him and his staff, that’s why they should get so much credit for the turnaround. Not just, you know, for the wins on the field for the Detroit Lions, but definitely that culture and obviously, he’s an ex-player. So, that comes with a lot of street credibility.”

There is no doubt Dan Campbell is a one of one

- @HBO pic.twitter.com/nWhE9Q7SdM
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) June 20, 2023

In just two seasons, Campbell turned the Lions from a 3-13-1 NFC bottom feeder into a 9-8 fringe playoff team with a simple philosophy: trust him.

Campbell had his share of doubters last season when Detroit was 1-6 through the first eight weeks with its lone win coming against a hot-and-cold Washington Commanders team in Week 2.

However, that record looked worse than it actually was considering four of those six losses were in one-score games and Detroit was playing perhaps its most competitive football since 2017.

The Lions rallied over the final 10 games of the year, winning eight of those contests and nearly upsetting the No. 2-seeded Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving Day. Detroit may have missed the postseason, but it came down to the wire, and the team locked up its fifth winning season since 2001.

Detroit is a sexy pick among oddsmakers to win their first NFC North title in 2023. It would be the team’s first division championship since 1993 when they played in defunct the NFC Central.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

More must-reads: