The NFL Honors saw a pair of surprise winners of its awards Thursday night, one of which was Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who won the Coach of the Year award for the second time in his career.
When the votes were counted, Stefanki beat out first-year Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans by one vote. But the man in third place, a distant third, was Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, someone Lions players believe should have received the award after his historic season.
“I think he deserved it, man,” Lions star running back Aidan Hutchinson told Fox News Digital while discussing his association with Bounty and his “Ultimate Wingman” promotion alongside defensive teammate Brian Branch. “We did some very historic things this year with our franchise.
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Aidan Hutchinson, number 97 of the Detroit Lions, and head coach Dan Campbell react after a safety in the fourth quarter during a game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on Nov. 19, 2023, in Detroit, Michigan. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
“While the awards are nice, in our hearts he is our Coach of the Year.”
No Lions team had won 14 games in a single season until this year, as Campbell helped lead his team to the NFC Championship Game, where they ultimately fell to the San Francisco 49ers.
And you have to go back to 1993 to find the last time the Lions won their division. They went 12-5 this season to capture the NFC North and earn the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
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While quarterback Jared Goff believes Stefanski is a worthy recipient of the award, it's hard not to root for his own coach after this historic season.
“I don't see why I wouldn't [win]”Goff told Fox News after talking about his partnership with Jared Jewelry, where he said he will be giving his entire offensive line new Breitling watches after a big year. “I guess that award tends to go to a team that doesn't wait to I don't know, be just as competitive. And when they are, or they have some injuries, and the coach helps them through that, [he] ends up getting the prize. I think we were expected to be pretty good, so it wasn't a surprise.
“Stefanski is a great coach, but Dan is my Coach of the Year. He's done a great job for us.”
No Lions coach has won the award since 1991, when Wayne Fontes was named Coach of the Year. It was the only other time the Lions won 12 games in a single season.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell during warmups before the Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. (Junfu Han/RED USA TODAY)
Of course, Branch, the Alabama rookie, believes his first NFL head coach is the man who deserved to win it, too, but Branch gave a specific reason.
“Just the fact that he made us a promise. He kept his promise. We came far,” he explained. “He is a great coach and a great human being.”
He may not have received the award for his efforts this season, but the accolades are not something that keeps Campbell up at night. The only trophy he wants is the Vince Lombardi, and since he took over the Lions job in 2021, that's what he and general manager Brad Holmes have worked tirelessly to achieve with this young group of Lions.
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Hutchinson felt that immediately when the team selected him second overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, and even more so because they won so many games last season.
“I think Dan is very genuine,” he said. “What you see is what you see on television. I think when you have that identification that he is a player and understands how we feel. Also, I think he attacks adversity very well. I think he is not afraid of adversity, and “That makes us brave.”
Branch added: “He gives the same energy every day and he doesn't change it. That's something you want in a head coach: They give their best and that makes you bring out the best in you.”
Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions reacts before a game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium on January 28, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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He may not have done it this year, but Campbell has the pieces in place to have another great season in 2024, one in which defending the NFC North title and trying to make a deep playoff run are at the top of the Priority list.
