Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell has faced plenty of criticism—and a fair amount of praise—for his bold decision to go for it on fourth down late against the Green Bay Packers, despite backing up at his own 24-yard line in a tie game. Even though the Lions didn’t convert, the strategy worked. As Campbell said after the game, he knew if they didn’t convert, they’d still get the ball for a possible final possession. Detroit did, and they made it count on the game-winning field goal.
Campbell was asked again about his overall fourth-down philosophy on Wednesday, and amid talk of his years of experience in the league and influences like Sean Payton, he also made a hilarious pop-culture reference.
He says he views his affinity for fourth down raids as John Candy the titular character in the movie “Uncle Buck” views his iconic trapper/ushanka hat.
“Have you seen ‘Uncle Buck?’” Campbell began. “I think I’m a little bit like—his fedora, you know the hat he’s wearing? It’s a little tasteful.”
He then cited a quote from the film: “Just looking at it bothers a lot of people.”
“So I always think of ‘Uncle Buck,’ man, when John Candy wears a hat. ‘Is this the hat?'”
Campbell’s analogy isn’t so clear, but fans of the movie may remember this particular scene, where Uncle Buck talks about how he believes people will judge him based on the hat alone.
“A lot of people hate this hat. It makes a lot of people angry, just at the sight of it,” says Candy’s character.
Maybe he believes people just hate fourth-down aggression without even thinking about it. Or they see Campbell as a meathead, and his fourth-down process as a reflection of surface-level thinking. Or maybe it’s Campbell’s little quirk that you either love or hate.
Either way, it’s just another iconic moment in a Dan Campbell press conference.