“No break, no gas:” A comparison between Dan Campbell and Robert Saleh as head coaches

Three seasons ago, Dan Campbell, the tight end coach for the New Orleans Saints, and Robert Saleh, the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, were two of the top customers for head coaching jobs. Both men would end up as head coaches; the former would join the Detroit Lions, while the latter would join the New York Jets.

The Lions gained notoriety after that and won their first postseason match in thirty years. The Jets, on the other hand, have made the other turn and currently own the longest active postseason drought among major American sports.

At the very end of watching the Lions playoff game in the wild card round, I couldn’t help but think about Saleh. I was thinking of him specifically on this play.

The play itself isn’t particularly noteworthy, but its backdrop is. The Los Angeles Rams are unable to stop the clock at this point in the game since they have used up all of their timeouts and have already seen the two-minute warning. The Lions are in second place and have a one-point advantage.

One could argue that the Lions would gain the most by just running the ball twice. This is really how this situation is traditionally handled because the Rams have roughly 30 seconds to drive from wherever the punt landed (which is probably the Rams’ 20-yard line or worse), as the Lions can deduct 40 seconds from the clock for each run play. Even though the Rams won’t be using any timeouts, that low success percentage still gives them a chance to win the game on a field goal, which may happen if a wideout or corner tripped on a solid play.

The ball was not run by Dan Campbell. Dan Campbell made a pass that resulted in a first down and went straight for the win. The Lions were able to end the clock as a result. The ball was never found by the Rams.

The clock would have stopped on third and long if the pass had been incomplete. This indicates that if the Lions had run the ball or completed a throw short of the first down on what would have been third and long, the Rams would have had one more stop and around a minute to gain the yardage needed for the victory. If the Lions had attempted one more incomplete pass, the Rams would have had one minute and thirty seconds remaining. With the way Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was performing at that point in the game, I believe the Rams would have found a way to win it in either situation if the Lions had punted after the second down incompletion.

Having said that, Campbell took a chance and it paid off. Had the play gone well, the game would have been won. It’s possible that failure lost it. I would characterize “all gas, no break” in that way. The notion that you may claim, “Failure here would be costly but we’re not going to fail,” by engaging in planned aggression. Furthermore, as seen by his team setting an NFL record most fourth down attempts (and conversions) in his first season as head coach of the Lions, Campbell’s decision is the result of years’ worth of deliberation rather than a single instance.

Fans of the Jets are aware that Saleh’s motto for the team is “all gas, no break.” Even while he says it, on game day he doesn’t quite seem to live up to it. Take a look at this choice to punt when it would have effectively ended the game.

In my opinion, had the New York Jets been in the Lions’ shoes on Sunday, they would have chosen to punt instead of running the ball. It probably works out perfectly with the Jets defense. However, that does not mean that it is a “all gas, no break” policy.

The Jets have many issues that go beyond a catchphrase, but successful teams—like the Lions—have a distinct identity, and as of right now, I think the Jets lack one. They behave differently from what they claim to be. These conflicting messages eventually cause uncertainty, and a team is never better off when its members cause their own perplexity. Saleh believes that a shift in perspective or in the message is necessary. Unless Saleh wishes to be released of his responsibilities, one of them needs to change.