Charissa Thompson Rips Into Dan Campbell’s Critics Over 4th Down Decision After Exposing FOX Co-Workers’ Carelessness

Charissa Thompson isn’t one to hold back. Whether defending bold coaching moves or poking fun at live TV mishaps, she knows how to captivate an audience. Her latest hot takes? Well! A fiery defense of Dan Campbell. But what was she defending?

It was the risky 4th-down call. On the “Calm Down with Erin and Charissa” podcast, Thompson passionately defended Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s gutsy 4th-down decision during their nail-biting win over the Packers. “I love it,” Charissa said of Campbell’s bold move. “Jared Goff was like, let’s go kind of a thing. Like, this is our team, this is who we are” she said, applauding Campbell’s “all-in” vibe. She slammed the naysayers who questioned the decision.

Critics who bashed Campbell’s call despite its success visibly annoyed Thompson. “If I’m in that locker room, I’m riding with somebody like that,” she added. Thompson made it clear, “If you’re not in the locker room, you don’t get to judge the game plan.” And to put things into perspective, Dan Campbell’s bold fourth-down decisions during the Lions’ 34-31 win over the Packers raised eyebrows.

Especially as he opted to go for it with 43 seconds left in a tie game. “I just felt like we needed to end it on offense,” Campbell explained. “I did not want to give that ball back and I believed we could get that.” His trust in the offensive line and David Montgomery paid off, setting up the game-winning field goal. “We came into this game knowing we were going to do it a little bit more than usual,” said quarterback Jared Goff, reflecting Campbell’s mindset. Even Packers coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged, “That’s how Dan has done it throughout the course of his career.” But Campbell’s style hasn’t come without criticism.

Analysts like Tedy Bruschi labeled it reckless, though Richard Sherman and Pat McAfee praised the culture Campbell has built. As Sherman put it on “The Richard Sherman” podcast, “People want what Dan Campbell has.” Sherman put it perfectly: “They’re 12-1 if that’s their culture, and that’s what they built… What does it matter to you?” And Thompson? She’s all in on that mentality. And speaking of being “all in,” Thompson has been on the news for her shenanigans.

From Campbell’s defense to exposing carelessness on live TV

From football intensity to TV hilarity, Thompson shifts gears like no other. Before the Dan Campbell defense, she was in the news earlier this week as she playfully called out Rob Gronkowski’s wardrobe blunder On Sunday’s FOX NFL Kickoff.

Mid-broadcast, she noticed the tag still dangling from Gronk’s suit and didn’t hesitate to point it out. “Hold on, time out,” Thompson exclaimed, showing the tag to viewers. “Michael Strahan, are you taking it back?” The crew erupted in laughter as Gronk scrambled for a comeback, joking about his “Detroit Blue” look. Even Tom Brady couldn’t resist chiming in.

“That’s a good trick,” Brady quipped. Strahan later joined the fun on Instagram, confirming with a wink that the suit wasn’t being returned. “We are not taking the suit back,” Strahan wrote, playfully adding, “Gronk just loved having my name on his suit!”

The playful banter lit up social media, with fans loving the camaraderie. “That was hilarious,” one user commented. And it’s these moments that keep FOX NFL Kickoff both sharp and entertaining.

The wardrobe mishap wasn’t the first viral moment for FOX NFL Kickoff. And it certainly won’t be the last. As for Dan Campbell’s fourth-down decisions? Well, it seems that Charissa’s ride-or-die attitude extends beyond just the players on the field—it’s with the entire team, including her co-hosts.