Dan Campbell’s fourth-down instincts took center stage again this week, and the Lions coach framed them in a way only he could: with a movie reference to “Uncle Buck.”
The topic came back around after Campbell’s aggressive call late against the Green Bay Packers, when Detroit went for it on fourth down from its own 24-yard line in a tie game. The gamble failed, but it didn’t backfire the way it could have.
Campbell said after the game that even if the Lions didn’t convert, they expected to get the ball back for what might have been the final possession. That’s exactly how it unfolded, and Detroit cashed in with the game-winning field goal.
Asked again Wednesday about his broader fourth-down approach, Campbell talked about his experience in the league and influences such as Sean Payton. Then he veered into a pop-culture comparison.
“You guys ever seen ‘Uncle Buck?’” Campbell starts.
“I think I’m a little bit like-his fedora, you know that hat he wears? It’s a little bit of a flavor.”
He then leaned into the comparison with a line from the movie: “Just the mere sight of it bothers a lot of people.”
“So I always think a little of ‘Uncle Buck, ’ man, when John Candy’s wearing that hat. ‘Is it the hat?’”
The analogy may not have been the clearest, but the point seemed obvious enough: Campbell knows his fourth-down aggression gets under people’s skin. In “Uncle Buck,” Candy’s character says, “A lot of people hate this hat. It angers a lot of people, just the sight of it.”
Maybe that’s how Campbell sees his reputation, too - a style some people dislike before they even dig into the reasoning. Or maybe, as the comparison suggests, it’s just one of those Campbell quirks you either appreciate or you don’t.
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