Lions players' favorite stories of Dan Campbell the coach - ESPN

DETROIT — A day after a stunning Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings dropped his Detroit Lions to 5-3 on the season, Dan Campbell held a private meeting with first-year offensive coordinator John Morton.

Before the season, Morton was given the tall order of following previous coordinator Ben Johnson in the role. Johnson, who took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears in the offseason, had helped turn the Lions into one of the NFL's top offenses over his three years in charge — helping the unit top the league in points (30.15 per game), offensive efficiency and first downs the past two seasons.

But the offense struggled to reach the same heights in the first eight games under Morton. In the 27-24 home loss to the Vikings, the Lions, who had averaged 402.2 yards from 2023 to '24, managed just 305. The game also marked the third straight contest in which Detroit had failed to score 30 points.

Campbell knew it was time for a change.

When he met with Morton on Nov. 3, Campbell had an honest conversation with his first-year OC about the changes that needed to be made as the Lions continued their playoff push, informing Morton that he would be taking over playcalling duties for the foreseeable future. Afterward, he approached Lions quarterback Jared Goff about the change to spark the unit.

«As soon as he said it, I'm like, 'All right. Let's go. What do we gotta do?' That's the way I've always been in this business. I've been cut six times, I've been fired. Man, you just march on because it's always about the team,» Morton said. «It always is. It ain't about me, goals and this and that.

»The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl, so I didn't even blink twice because I know my role here and the only thing that's changed