If you were watching the Week 10 matchup between Detroit and Washington, you may have noticed that John Morton was not calling the plays. In fact, head coach Dan Campbell took it upon himself to take over, bringing the vision he had for the offense to life on the field. After speaking with the media this week about his plans on continuing to call the plays moving forward, Campbell stated he was interested in holding the reins in a collaborative effort with his coaching staff. While some may find this change unconventional, for Detroit, the switch seems to be working. But how does offensive coordinator, John Morton, feel about it?
On Thursday, Morton handled the press conference like a pro, “I’m not going to say exactly how it went down, because that’s private, but I fully support it.” He expressed that this change is nothing new to him, as he’s been a part of teams where the head coaches are responsible for playcalling, so he’s not uncomfortable handing over the sheet. “Alright, let’s go.” Morton is a team player and wants to do what it takes to win as a team, so when Campbell approached him about taking over, he was on board. The NFL is a business and sometimes you’re relieved of some of your duties, sometimes you’re cut entirely, and Morton is well-versed in that aspect of the job. He understands to expect the unexpected and adjust when those higher up tell you to do so, he doesn’t “blink twice when things happen in this business” and he moves forward with his head held high.
For Detroit, nothing has really changed behind the scenes. Dan Campbell is calling plays during the games, however Morton is still preparing like a coordinator. The collaborative efforts and communication are the same, and if Campbell decides to hand the call sheet back over, Morton is ready. “That’s the way I’ve always approached it,” he mentions. “I’ll be ready.” But in the meantime, those lines of communication between the two and quarterback Jared Goff remain open. They have a big matchup ahead of them heading into Week 11 and preparation is no different than it’s ever been. Morton is really into the passing game, so Campbell relies on him to run it. On the other hand, Campbell is big on the run game, so Morton relies on him to provide feedback and assistance on perfecting that. It’s that collaborative effort that they pride themselves so much on.
What happens if they’re deep in the game against the Eagles and Campbell throws Morton for a loop and hands over that play calling sheet again? Well, like he said, he “doesn’t blink” and he’ll “be ready.” Morton has a skill to observe what is happening on the field in front of him and prepare as if he’s in charge of calling those plays, so if on a dime he is in charge again, the flow will keep going. Last week against Washington, the players felt that shift in their offensive flow and the plan is to keep that up. Observation is key to maintaining that, whether or not Morton or Campbell is on the mic. Without revealing too much of their gameplan heading in Philly, there’s plenty that works well and plenty they still need to work on, and it all comes back to that observation. Morton states he “sees certain calls, set up, this and that…” and he’s learning. So whether Campbell maintains the calls or hands the responsibility back over to Morton, they’ll be ready for anything the Eagles throw their way.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: John Morton backs Dan Campbell’s play-calling shift as Lions prep for Eagles
Reporting by Krystal Parcher, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
